The Darkness of Dawn
by Fwirl Before The Storm
Summary: Stormpaw and Larkpaw are two RiverClan apprentices bound on a dangerous quest that could consume them: to avenge the wrongful death of their father. Will this ambitious plan destroy them all, or will they somehow manage to survive?
1. Prologue

**Heya! This is Shadow and Fwirl! We're going to co-author this fic with each other, an dyou get to see the results, lucky you. Isn't it great to be a reader? We're gonna be switching off every chapter, starting with Shadow. Maybe some of Fwirl's happy can even out Shadow's depressing! So we'll let the creativity flow and let's see what happens!**

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The pale light of the full moon cascaded down upon the backs of battling cats, illuminating bared teeth and unsheathed claws. Ear-splitting yowls echoed off of stones and tree trunks as the heaving mass of cats continued their battle.

A black-and-brown tom and a light brown tabby rolled away from the main battle, hissing and spitting. Their fight churned up the grassy ground at their paws, turning it to mud.

The tabby pinned down the other tom. Drawing in a ragged breath, he panted, "I've got you now, Spiderleg. ThunderClan think they're so great… but they're not!"

Spiderleg glared up into the tom's sky blue eyes with contempt. "Yes, because RiverClan are much better," he taunted. "Why don't you go back and hide in the reeds where you belong, Streamclaw?"

With a yowl of rage, Streamclaw bent his head to deliver a painful bite to Spiderleg's shoulder, but the ThunderClan cat was too quick. Whipping away from Streamclaw's powerful teeth, he squirmed out of the RiverClan warrior's grasp and turned to face him, panting.

"You… you need… to leave." Spiderleg's voice was shaky as he gasped for breath.

Streamclaw took a step closer to the ThunderClan warrior. Extending his claws, he mewed, "I'm not leaving until you and your Clan are finished fighting. RiverClan aren't going to be hassled by a Clan full of kittypets. We have things to protect." He crouched down. "This is your last warning."

Spiderleg narrowed his amber eyes. "ThunderClan is not intimidated by your threats, Streamclaw." He also crouched. "We can take your Clan anytime."

The two warriors circled each other warily, each anticipating the other's first blow. Streamclaw narrowed his eyes in concentration; he had to win this fight. An image of Otterheart flashed in his mind and he hesitated for a heartbeat, overcome with emotion. That was all Spiderleg needed. Taking advantage of the RiverClan warrior's lapse in thought, Spiderleg launched himself toward Streamclaw, his teeth bared in a fierce snarl.

Streamclaw let out a hiss of surprise as Spiderleg's teeth latched onto his throat. He thrashed frantically, but Spiderleg's weight pressed down on him, trapping him between the cold mud and his enemy. He lashed out with a flailing forepaw and caught Spiderleg on the muzzle. Blood sprayed from the wound. The warrior let out a hiss of pain and relinquished his hold on Streamclaw, digging his claws into the warriors thick throat fur instead and shaking his head.

Streamclaw heaved with all his strength, but Spiderleg's hold was firm. The black warrior was half-blinded by the blood in his eyes as he raked his hind claws down Streamclaw's flank. The RiverClan warrior snarled in frustration, and slammed his heavy paw into the side of Spiderleg's face, but by doing so, shifted their weight and dislodged the precariously thin ledge they were battling on.

Yowls of surprise rose from both cat's throats as they began to roll down the slope towards the lake. Spiderleg let out a wail of fear, and redoubled his grip on Streamclaw's fur.

Streamclaw tried desperately to break Spiderleg's hold on him. He looked around for something, _anything _firm enough to stop his fall. Just as he turned his head, the battling cats collided with a large, hard rock. Streamclaw, propelled by Spiderleg's extra weight, smacked his head right into the side of the cold, cruel stone.

Immediately, Streamclaw knew something was wrong, and it was not a normal head wound. A deep, slow ache filled his body. Tipping back his head, he saw a growing puddle of blood glinting in the light of the full moon. A horrible chill had begun to creep through him turning him to ice. He was barely aware of Spiderleg's presence, could barely hear the ThunderClan cat calling desperately for help.

"What happened here? Streamclaw!" He faintly recognized the deputy, Mistyfoot's voice raised in horror. He felt a nudge to his numbed shoulder, a voice frantically calling him to stay.

"Explain yourself, Spiderleg!" Slowly, like an old cat, Streamclaw turned his head to see who was talking. A white tom bristled in front of his eyes, blurred so much that he looked like a snowflake. _Snow,_ he thought distantly. _It must be snowing. I hope Otterheart is warm; the kits are due any day. _

Thoughts of his mate filled his fading mind. They had been apprenticed around the same time, but Streamclaw had always been to shy to speak to the beautiful brown she-cat. They had finally gotten together, and were planning to start a family.

Streamclaw had been ready to burst with pride when Otterheart told him the news. He could still picture the look in her light green eyes when she told him she was expecting kits. Would they look like him? He could picture a light brown tabby with Otterheart's green eyes, or a dark kit with his blue eyes. All his dreams were about to come true; he was a trusted warrior, a proud RiverClan cat, and a soon-to-be father.

Then the Great Battle happened. All thoughts of his new family fluttered away. Streamclaw, in his confused state, could only remember that ThunderClan was somehow involved, and he was in their territory. Try as he might, he couldn't recall the purpose of RiverClan's invasion, couldn't see how all the glory of battle had come to this.

But he didn't want to think about battles, not now. The ice chilling his veins had put him into a stupor, making his thoughts wander away from him, as if he was trying to grasp a struggling fish. He could barely hear the three cats standing over him over the pulsing of his own heart, beating the blood from his body with every traitorous pulse. He would never see the river again, he realized. He would never meet the kits he had been so proud to have sired, never see the beautiful eyes of his mate again. _Otterheart,_ a voice within him whispered. With a deep sigh at the thought of his mate, Streamclaw closed his eyes and let himself sink into the darkness, falling from the familiar world and into the shadows.

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**Whoohoo! Since I, Shadow, wrote this chappie, it was destined to become depressing. :D Fwirl's chapter's next!**


	2. Chapter 1

A/N Hey, it's Fwirl! This shall be the first chapter I've written in this story. –is proud–

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**RiverClan Allegiance **

**Leader:**  
Leopardstar-unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

**Deputy:  
**Mistyfoot-gray she-cat with blue eyes  
_Apprentice__, Petalpaw  
_

**Medicine Cat:  
**Mothwing-dappled golden she-cat  
_Apprentice, Willowshine  
_

**Warriors:  
**Blackclaw-smoky-black tom

Voletooth-small brown tabby tom  
_Apprentice, Grasspaw _

Reedwhisker-black tom

Beechfur-light brown tom

Rippletail-dark gray tabby tom  
_Apprentice, Mallowpaw_

Graymist-pale gray tabby  
_Apprentice, Beetlepaw _

Dapplenose-mottled gray she-cat

Pouncetail-ginger-and-white tom

Mintfur-light gray tabby tom  
_Apprentice, Nettlepaw _

Icewing-white she-cat with green eyes

Pinefur-very short-haired tabby she-cat  
_Apprentice, Robinpaw _

Rainstorm-mottled gray-blue tom  
_Apprentice, Pricklepaw _

Duskfur-brown tabby she-cat  
_Apprentice, Copperpaw _

Pebblefur-gray tom

Minnowtail-gray-and-white she-cat with fluffy fur

**Apprentices****:  
**Willowshine- Small, pale gray tabby she-cat

Mallowpaw- Gray tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Robinpaw- Ginger she-cat with white chest and paws, amber eyes

Nettlepaw- Dark brown tabby with green eyes

Copperpaw- Light brown tom with amber eyes

Beetlepaw- Dark brown tom, amber eyes

Petalpaw- Pale ginger she-cat, green eyes

Grasspaw- White she-cat, green eyes

Pricklepaw- Pale brown she-cat, amber eyes

**Queens:  
**Otterheart-Dark brown she-cat, mother of Streamclaw's kits:  
Larkkit- Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, sky-blue eyes  
Stormkit- Dark silver tabby she-cat with white paws and chest, green eyes

**Elders:  
**Swallowtail-dark tabby she-cat

Mosspelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Dawnflower-pale gray she-cat

**Chapter One**

_6 Moons Later…_

Early newleaf sunlight poured in through the willow trees surrounding RiverClan's camp. The formidable trunks had no power to stop the chilling winds that swept through the reeds and bushes, making even the most thick-furred cat shiver. Thrushes and blackbirds were already awake and heralding the new day, calling to one another in their mysterious ways.

Larkkit's favorite time of day was early morning when the birds were singing to each other; it always soothed her in ways she couldn't even begin to understand. She was sitting outside of the nursery watching as the camp woke up to greet the new day, her tail wrapped neatly over her paws and the sun glinting off her white-and-tortoiseshell fur.

She gazed after Nettlepaw as he pushed his way through the reeds at the entrance to the camp, returning from the dawn patrol with Reedwhisker, Pouncetail, and Beechfur. Leopardstar had just left her den and met Mistyfoot across from the warriors' den to hold a whispered conversation with her. Robinpaw practically bounced over to the small heap of a fresh-kill pile and picked out a few fish, which she hurried to take over to the elders' den. Willowshine exited the medicine den, heading out of camp to find more herbs, Larkkit assumed.

Larkkit's attention was aroused as Stormkit, her sister, crawled out from the nursery, giving her dark silver pelt a rough shake to throw off the clinging leaves. She let out a huge yawn as she stretched out from a full night's sleep, glancing around camp. "Looks like you finally decided to wake up," Larkkit commented to her sister in an amused purr.

"I don't know why you always get up so early," Stormkit grumbled. "Why not sleep in?"

"I like the morning," Larkkit replied simply. "Besides, if you didn't stay up so late, you might wake up earlier."

"It's more fun at night," Stormkit retorted. "Is there any fresh-kill left on the pile?" Without waiting for an answer, Stormkit bounded over to the fresh-kill pile to see what was left. Larkkit hurried to follow her sister, not wanting to be left behind. She had caught up with Stormkit by the time they had reached the measly pile of fresh-kill; all that remained were two young mice and a small fish.

"I wonder if a hunting patrol will go out soon," Larkkit pondered aloud. "I can't wait until we're apprentices; then we can join the patrols, too!"

"Yeah, it's going to be great!" Stormkit agreed excitedly. "I'm going to be the best hunter in the entire Clan and I'll be able to feed everyone, even in leaf bare!"

"I'm going to be the best tracker," Larkkit replied proudly. "I'll be able to find anything, anywhere, anytime!"

"Good to hear that you'll be working hard," Mistyfoot purred as she came up behind the two kits. Larkkit could see Leopardstar pad over to Blackclaw and talk to him, apparently having finished her conversation with her deputy.

"What were you and Leopardstar talking about?" Larkkit asked curiously, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Blackclaw is getting on in seasons, and Leopardstar wanted to ask if I thought he should become an elder or remain a warrior for a while longer," Mistyfoot answered. "We decided it would be for the best if he retired. Any plans for the day?"

"No," Stormkit answered in a bored tone. "Is there anything you want us to do?" she asked with a hopeful mew.

"No," Mistyfoot purred, seeing the eagerness in Stormkit's eyes. "It's against the warrior code for kits to do apprentice jobs. Besides, you'll be apprentices soon enough; enjoy your last few days of being kits while you still can. Don't forget, later is Mallowpaw and Robinpaw's warrior ceremony." With that, Mistyfoot padded away to organize a hunting patrol, or at least, that's what Larkkit assumed.

"What _are _we going to do today?" Stormkit asked as she took one of the mice and went to sit in front of the nursery, Larkkit right behind her with the last mouse.

Larkkit poked her mouse while she pondered her sister's question, wondering how long ago the pathetic thing had been born. Not coming up with an answer to Stormkit's question, she shrugged and began to eat. Stormkit was silent as she ate her fresh-kill as well, a contemplating look in her eye.

Dawnflower was across on the other side of the camp, greeting Blackclaw. _They'll be denmates now_, Larkkit thought, watching them. Dawnflower had been made an elder about three moons ago; after all, she had been a warrior when the fight with BloodClan, which Swallowtail had told her about, had happened. Sadly, Heavystep had passed away as well as Sneezepaw from greencough just a moon ago. Pebblefur and Minnowtail, apprentices until five moons ago, were sharing tongues near the warriors' den.

When they had finished eating, Stormkit stood up decisively. "Let's go ask the elders to tell us a story from when the Clans still lived in the forest!" she suggested excitedly.

"Okay," Larkkit agreed, warming up to the idea immediately. Stormkit led the way as the two kits started across to the elders' den, but it ended up in a race. Both kits insisted that they had won, even as they entered the den.

"Better luck next time," Stormkit teased.

"What are you talking about? I beat you by a full pawstep," Larkkit replied.

"Yeah right, I was in front of you the whole way," Stormkit retorted.

"Well, I was watching the whole thing and I'd declare it a tie," Swallowtail mewed as she entered the den from behind the two kits.

"Hi Swallowtail!" Larkkit greeted enthusiastically. "Did Dawnflower return?"

"Where's Mosspelt?" Stormkit added.

"Dawnflower and Mosspelt are outside," Swallowtail replied, heading to the back of the den where a few nests were scattered around. Settling down into hers, Swallowtail turned back to the kits and asked, "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Will you tell us a story about the old forest?" Stormkit questioned instantly. She settled down across from the elder and Larkkit followed suite.

"What would you like to hear about _exactly_?" Swallowtail asked, amusement shining in her eyes. "About BloodClan? Maybe the Great Journey?"

"How did Mistyfoot become deputy?" Larkkit inquired.

"Now there's a story," Swallowtail mewed thoughtfully. "Once long ago, RiverClan and ShadowClan joined together to make one Clan, TigerClan. Tigerstar and Leopardstar both led this Clan, but it seemed more to me like Tigerstar was running things." Swallowtail went into detail about how Stonefur, Mistyfoot, Stormpaw, and Featherpaw were mistreated and how Stonefur was killed, leading up to Mistyfoot becoming deputy. By the time the story had finished and others had been related, the sun was low in the sky.

"Wow! Those were great stories!" Stormkit exclaimed. "I like Stonefur; it's so cool how he stood up for those two apprentices."

"It's so sad though," Larkkit mewed depressingly, her tail drooping. "I can't believe StarClan would let such a brave and strong warrior die like that."

"It was out of StarClan's paws," Swallowtail mewed simply. "Don't worry; he's joined the ranks of StarClan and is watching over us along with your father, Streamclaw." Larkkit felt a pang of sadness jar her heart as her father whom she had never met was mentioned. She had always wondered what kind of cat he had been, but now she'd never know.

"Swallowtail…what was our father like?" Larkkit murmured.

"Well, he was very brave and kind," Swallowtail answered after a moment of consideration. "He loved your mother very much and always had this proud look in his eyes after Otterheart had told him she was going to have kits. I don't think he could have loved you more, even if he had met you face to face."

"Thanks Swallowtail," Stormkit whispered.

"It really means a lot," Larkkit added softly, feeling slightly better.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" Leopardstar yowled. Larkkit and Stormkit hurried out of the elders' den, followed at a slower pace by Swallowtail. They hurried to sit outside of the nursery next to Otterheart, their mother, as the rest of the Clan slowly filtered out. Willowshine and Mothwing sat outside of the medicine den, while Nettlepaw and Copperpaw came out of the apprentices' den.

Larkkit could just barely see Robinpaw and Mallowpaw sitting in the front of the crowd, their fur cleaned and lustrous in the fading light. Leopardstar was standing in front of them, waiting for the Clan to settle down. When at last everything was quiet, the RiverClan leader began the ceremony.

"Today is a special day indeed when two of our apprentices become warriors," Leopardstar mewed, gazing warmly at the two soon-to-be warriors. "I, Leopardstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Mallowpaw, Robinpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do!" Mallowpaw declared proudly.

"I do," Robinpaw answered more softly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names," Leopardstar continued. "Mallowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Mallowtail. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Leopardstar rested her muzzle on Mallowtail's head and Mallowtail licked her leader's shoulder in response.

"Robinpaw, from this moment you will be known as Robinwing," Leopardstar went on as Mallowtail took her place beside Reedwhisker and Rippletail. "StarClan honors your determination and hard work, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Leopardstar rested her muzzle on Robinwing's quivering head, and she licked Leopardstar's shoulder in return.

"Mallowtail! Robinwing! Mallowtail! Robinwing!" the Clan cheered for the new warriors. Robinwing shyly joined Mallowtail as RiverClan surrounded them to give them their congratulations.

"C'mon, let's go congratulate them!" Stormkit suggested, nudging her sister lightly and running up to the two she-cats. "Nice job!"

"Yeah, you guys really deserve it!" Larkkit added earnestly.

"Thanks!" Robinwing replied, embarrassed.

"You guys are going to take our places in the apprentices' den," Mallowtail told them happily. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Larkkit and Stormkit chorused.

"I have one other announcement to make," Leopardstar called. She waited for the Clan to become quiet once more before continuing on. "Blackclaw has decided it's time to retire and join the elders' den." There were a few murmurs of surprise, but most of RiverClan had already heard of this. "He has worked hard to fight for his Clan, and we shall honor him in turn." RiverClan cheered on Blackclaw as he looked up proudly. "That is all."

Leopardstar returned to her den while the rest of the Clan dispersed into small groups to talk about the Clan meeting or retreated to their dens. Mallowtail and Robinwing stood in the center of the camp, starting their silent vigil for the night. "Larkkit, Stormkit, come back to the nursery soon," Otterheart told her kits. "I want you to get a good night's sleep tonight."

"Okay," Larkkit and Stormkit agreed. Otterheart licked both of their ears affectionately and disappeared into the nursery. "I'm going to go talk with Nettlepaw and the others," Larkkit told her sister.

"Have fun," Stormkit replied, nodding to her as she headed over to where Petalpaw and Grasspaw were sitting with Copperpaw. Larkkit watched her sister go for half a heartbeat before padding over to where Nettlepaw, Beetlepaw, and Pricklepaw were talking excitedly.

"Hi guys!" Larkkit greeted them as she got nearer. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, hey Larkkit," Nettlepaw replied. "We were just saying what we would want our warrior ceremonies to be like. It's not going to feel the same without Mallowtail and Robinwing in the apprentices' den with us, though."

"Yeah, but Stormkit and I will be in there soon, too," Larkkit reminded them proudly.

"We can't wait," Beetlepaw assured her. "It's going to be so much fun. You'll love being an apprentice! Well, except fetching fresh moss for the elders' nests and searching for ticks…but other than that it's really great!"

"Sounds amazing," Larkkit mewed optimistically.

"Larkkit!" Stormkit called from over by the nursery. "Come on, Otterheart's waiting for us!"

"Coming!" Larkkit replied. "Bye, guys," she said to the three apprentices as she dashed back to the nursery. She slipped in right behind Stormkit and headed to the back of the den where she knew their nest was, despite the dim lighting. As she settled down, Larkkit couldn't help thinking about her own apprentice ceremony, which was looming ever closer. "Larkpaw," she murmured to herself just as her eyes slid closed and she fell into a comfortable sleep.

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A/N Okay, so there was a slightly depressing part but I had to mention somehow that they were Streamclaw's kits and that seemed the best way to do it to me. Don't forget to give some honest concrit and review! ^.^

~ Fwirl


	3. Chapter 2

**Yaaay! It's Shadow's turn again! This is totally my first official chapter of this fic, and guess what? It's not depressing! It's a new record! Woot!**

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Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the walls of the nursery. Stormkit stared idly at the speckles of white light; they glittered on her sister Larkkit's already speckled pelt. Her mother, Otterheart, was sleeping soundly, her breath rising and falling evenly.

Stormkit felt a little lonely; she was the only one that wanted to go out and explore under the light of the almost full moon. Just the thought of exploring on her own made Stormkit tingle with excitement. She could already imagine herself as a full-grown warrior, prowling around the territory whenever she wanted. _That is, if Leopardstar agrees,_ she thought.

_Why not go now? _The thought made her sit up suddenly. Larkkit at her side let out a sleepy mew of protest, and burrowed deeper into Otterheart's brown fur. Stormkit waited until her sister was still before cautiously looking around. The nursery was empty as usual; Otterheart had told her that Icewing and her kits were the last to use it before she moved in. Otterheart's eyes always clouded with emotion whenever Stormkit asked about that time; it was the same time that Streamclaw had died.

As much as Stormkit wanted to know about her father, she didn't want to upset her mother. Otterheart didn't seem sad all the time, but asking her to tell her daughters about their father made the dark brown queen's eyes cloud with emotion. Otterheart had told them that Streamclaw was a brave warrior and that he had the same color eyes as Larkkit. Stormkit had felt a little jealous until Otterheart had told her that Streamclaw was also a tabby, but not dark silver like herself.

Stormkit stood carefully, stepping over Otterheart's tail. She thought about waking up Larkkit to go too, but she soon disregarded it; Larkkit wouldn't want to go stomping around in the woods, even to explore. She crept stealthily out the nursery entrance, making sure the brambles didn't tug at her pelt.

The camp was deserted; the only motion came from the swaying reeds that surrounded the camp. The moon's light shone down on the open space, clearly outlining Voletooth on watch. Stormkit moved slowly towards the entrance, keeping to the shadows. She stepped on a twig, the sharp _snap _made Voletooth whip his head around and stare intently in her direction. Stormkit thought for sure that her racing heart would give her away, but held still, hoping that her dark pelt would keep her hidden.

Voletooth finally dropped his fixed stare, and resumed looking towards the camp entrance, his jaws gaped in a yawn. Stormkit felt a little jolt of excitement mixed with fear; she was about to sneak out of camp! She padded quietly through the reeds, shoving them aside with her little shoulders, until she stood near the river.

Stifling a squeal of happiness, she bounced up to the water, gazing at the reflection the moon made on the moving water. She was just about to reach out and paw at the water, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Stormkit! What are you doing?" She nearly leapt out of her fur with shock. Wheeling around, she saw it was Copperpaw.

The light brown tom's amber eyes were sparking with anger. Stormkit tried unsuccessfully to smooth her ruffled fur.

"Hello, Copperpaw," she greeted coolly.

Copperpaw looked more worried than mad as he mewed, "You know kits aren't supposed to leave camp! What's wrong with you?"

"Me? What's wrong with you?" she spat. "Why are _you _out here?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm on watch. I saw you sneak out past Voletooth."

Stormkit gasped. She thought that she had been stealthy. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm almost an apprentice," she sneered. "I'll be able to leave camp soon."

Copperpaw sighed. "'Soon' isn't 'now', Stormkit." He flicked his tail. "Let's get you back to camp."

Stormkit hesitated, her eyes narrowed mutinously, then relaxed. "Don't tell Otterheart," she begged.

Copperpaw let out a soft laugh. "I might not if you come now."

Stormkit dipped her head wearily and followed the apprentice back through the hole she had made in the side of the camp. He parted the reeds for her with his tail, and she padded through, making sure that Voletooth hadn't heard any of their hushed argument.

Letting the reeds drop behind him, Copperpaw whispered, "Over this way." He flicked his tail, beckoning her. She padded slowly after him through a more tangled part of the camp wall, ending up behind the nursery. "Here." She didn't move.

Copperpaw gave an exasperated sigh. "I won't tell," he hissed.

Stormkit nodded and padded inside. The darkness of the den was a shock to her after the brightness of the moon outside. She turned around, but Copperpaw was already gone.

She padded back to Otterheart's side and sank to her belly. Snuggling into the brown fur of her mother, she was just getting comfortable when she felt Larkkit stir.

"You left," she accused softly.

"Yeah, but not for long. Copperpaw caught me." Stormkit's voice was tight. She resented the light brown apprentice interrupting her exploring.

Larkkit looked sympathetic. "He's just looking out for you. You might have been hurt!"

Stormkit looked away angrily. "Yeah, but I doubt it."

"We're just kits still. When we're apprentices we can go out."

"If Leopardstar lets us."

"Why wouldn't she?" Larkkit asked curiously. "We'd be just like Copperpaw and Nettlepaw. Hunting, and patrolling, and…"

"Hush, kits!" Otterheart cut in with a sleepy mew. "You two need to be asleep."

"Sorry, Otterheart," they whispered together. Larkkit immediately curled up, her white tail curling over her nose, but Stormkit didn't feel like sleeping. She felt like exploring, searching and protecting the territory and the Clan.

Otterheart must have sensed her discomfort, and began to lick Stormkit's ears with long, smooth strokes. Soothed by the constant rhythm, Stormkit sunk into a fitful sleep, her dreams full of shadows and moving water.

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"Wake up! Wake up!" A paw jabbed into Stormkit's side. Jerking her head up, she blinked open her eyes.

Larkkit stood in front of her, her brown-speckled pelt gleaming like snow in the sunlight and mischief glittering in her pale blue eyes. "It's about time you got up! It's past sunhigh!"

Still groggy, Stormkit managed a weak mew of agreement, and sunk back down into her nest. "Wake me up if something interesting happens."

The paw poked her again, and she let out an annoyed grumble. "Alright," she snapped. She sat up and glared at her sister. "Are you happy now?"

Larkkit didn't seem bothered by her sister's grumpy attitude. "I just heard from Mistyfoot that we're going to be apprentices today!"

All of Stormkit's previous irritation vanished like dew in the hot sun. "Really?" she asked breathlessly. "Are we really going to be apprentices?"

"Yes!" Larkkit gave a happy spin. "We finally get to go outside the camp!"

"Let's go tell Otterheart!" Stormkit charged across the clearing, nearly knocking Pouncetail off his paws.

"Watch out," the ginger-and-white tom growled.

"We're going to be apprentices today," Larkkit informed him, her voice filled with pride.

Pouncetail's eyes gleamed. "Great! Can't wait to see who your mentor's are!" He continued on his way towards the fresh-kill pile.

"Who do you think our mentors will be," Stormkit asked her sister worriedly.

Larkkit shrugged. "Whoever it is, they'll be great mentors. Every cat in RiverClan could be a good mentor."

Stormkit wished that she could share her sister's confidence. She was secretly worried that she wouldn't become a good warrior. What would happen if she ended up an embarrassment to the Clan? Would Leopardstar kick her out of the Clan?

As she had read Stormkit's mind, Larkkit mewed, "Don't worry. Leopardstar knows what mentors will be best for us."

Her words soothed Stormkit, but only slightly. "Let's go find Otterheart," she suggested, trying to change the subject.

"I've been looking for her, but I don't see her." Larkkit was peering all around the clearing.

"There!" Stormkit bounded across the camp to Otterheart, who had just reappeared through the camp entrance. Her jaws were full of prey, which she promptly dropped in surprise as her daughters ran into her.

"What are you two doing out of the nursery?" she scolded. "Larkkit, I told you to tell your sister."

Larkkit dipped her head, ashamed. "I know," she mewed dejectedly. "But Mistyfoot told me that me and Stormkit are becoming apprentices today!"

Otterheart's green eyes glowed with pride. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Otterheart!" Stormkit mewed. "Soon, we'll be the ones bringing the Clan prey."

Otterheart purred. "And I'm sure you two will bring in plenty." She nuzzled both of her kits between the ears, then mewed, "Who wants to bring these mice to the elders? They might tell you a story."

Stormkit puffed out her chest. "We're too old for stories."

Larkkit purred with amusement. "No one's too old for stories!" She nudged Stormkit. "Let's see if they'll tell us about Crookedstar!" She plucked a mouse from the pile at Otterheart's paws. Waving her tail in farewell, she headed to the elders' den leaving Stormkit to mew a rushed good-bye to her mother, then picked up the other mouse and charged after her sister.

Struggling through the long grass that divided the den from the camp, Stormkit saw that Larkkit was already settled in front of Dawnflower.

Larkkit waved her over. "Dawnflower's going to tell us about TigerClan!"

Stormkit looked around the den. Swallowtail was curled up in a ball, her graying flanks rising and falling smoothly. The other elder, Mosspelt, wasn't there. "I suppose I'll leave this for Swallowtail when she wakes up," Stormkit sighed.

She padded back to her sister and Dawnflower. Then, settling down with her silver pelt brushing Larkkit's white and speckled one, she prepared herself for the long tale of Tigerstar's reign over the Clans countless seasons ago.

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together for a Clan meeting!" Leopardstar's call rang out over the RiverClan camp. One by one, the Clan assembled in the clearing.

Stormkit could hardly believe it; she was heartbeats away from becoming an apprentice! Her heart raced and her pads tingled at the thought.

Larkkit beside her was quivering. Her sky blue eyes sparkled in the light from the stars. She turned to Stormkit. "This is it!" she squealed happily.

"Yeah, I know!" Stormkit felt just as excited as her sister. She could feel the Clan looking at her, and gave her pelt a few self-conscious licks.

"You're fine. Otterheart smoothed our fur down so much we're as slick as fish!" Larkkit's pelt shone in the moonlight, the dark brown speckles looking like raindrops on her white pelt. Stormkit assumed her pelt was just as sleek; her white chest fur looked like snow.

When all the Clan had settled down, Leopardstar stood up, her spotted pelt looking silver in the pale light. "I, Leopardstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these kits. They would like to become warriors of RiverClan, but must first become apprentices." She turned to Larkkit. "Larkkit, from this day forth, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Larkpaw." She turned to look at her warriors. "Beechfur, you are ready for your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Larkpaw."

Stormkit watched as her sister and her new mentor touched noses. When Leopardstar turned to her, she felt as if her insides had turned to wriggling worms.

"Stormkit, from this day forth, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw. Reedwhisker, since Pouncetail became a warrior, you have needed an apprentice. You will be mentor to Stormpaw."

Reedwhisker padded forward and dipped his head to touch noses with his new apprentice. "You're doing fine," he whispered.

Comforted by his words, Stormpaw could only blink in return.

"Larkpaw, Stormpaw! Larkpaw, Stormpaw!" The Clan cheered on their latest apprentices happily, their voices raised as one.

Stormpaw noticed laughingly that Larkpaw was already peppering Beechfur with questions. The light brown tom looked amused as he directed his new apprentice to the apprentices' den.

Reedwhisker nudged her over towards her sister. "Go on," he purred. "Go greet your new denmates."

With a thankful mew in response, Stormpaw charged over to her sister. "Congratulations, Larkpaw!" she mewed happily.

"You too, Stormpaw!" Larkpaw retorted teasingly.

Grasspaw and Petalpaw padded up to them. "It'll be nice to see you two in the den," Grasspaw mewed with a friendly flick of her white tail.

"Now you'll be doing all the hard work instead of us!" Petalpaw purred.

"Not hardly!" Stormpaw protested.

Copperpaw came padding up. "Congratulations, Stormpaw." He narrowed his eyes teasingly. "I suppose I can't stop you from leaving camp anymore, huh?"

"Nope!" Stormpaw mewed triumphantly. "I can leave whenever I want!"

He purred. "It's not that big of a deal, you know." He flicked his tail to Nettlepaw. "Me and Nettlepaw were excited at first, too, but we got over it. Getting moss and hunting will be normal to you soon."

Stormpaw followed his gesture and saw the dark brown apprentice chatting with her sister. Nettlepaw seemed to be showing Larkpaw around the den, getting help from Beetlepaw.

Pricklepaw bounded up. "Stormpaw! Come on, I'll show you where you can sleep." She gave a friendly nod to Copperpaw, then tugged Stormpaw inside.

The den was full of soft moss and feathers, perfect nest materials. Pricklepaw motioned with her pale brown tail. "Let's scrape you a nest. We'll make you one by your sister."

Stormpaw nodded. "Okay!" She turned her head. "Larkkit-- I mean-- Lark_paw_, let's put our nests together!"

Larkpaw came dashing over, and in no time they had two soft, fluffy nests. "It's going to be strange not to have Otterheart here," she murmured, settling into her nest.

Stormpaw gave a huge yawn. "Yeah… really strange." She curled up into a tight ball and covered her nose with her dark tabby tail. "Good-night," she mumbled.

"Night!" Larkpaw responded sleepily.

Stormpaw was tired; sleep dragged at her paws, making her normal drive to explore to become subdued. She curled even tighter and drifted off into sleep quicker than she ever had before. _I'm an apprentice! _was her last thought before she drifted off.

* * *

**Not too bad, eh? I'm starting to get sleepy, so I'm off to bed. Fwirl's chapter's next! 'Ta!**

**Shadow**


	4. Chapter 3

A/N Hey, it's Fwirl again! Not much to say, so onto the story!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Larkpaw slowly opened her eyes, wondering why it was so bright this morning. She tried to find Otterheart, and was surprised when she saw Nettlepaw and Pricklepaw nearby. Then she remembered: she was an apprentice now. It was so bright because the apprentices' den wasn't nearly as thick as the nursery; that might take some getting used to.

Larkpaw stood up and arched her back before padding out of the den into the camp. The sun was just coming up from behind the warriors' den, throwing its rays of light across the entire RiverClan camp, illuminating the shining dew that covered the ground. The reeds in front of the camp quivered as Pouncetail, Graymist, Mistyfoot, and Grasspaw entered the camp, carrying fresh-kill that they promptly dropped on the pile.

Stormpaw left the apprentices' den right behind her sister, more excited than Larkpaw had ever seen her been in the morning. "Today's our first day training as apprentices," Stormpaw announced unnecessarily to her sister.

"Did you think I'd forget?" Larkpaw asked in amusement, then remembered that when she first woke up, she had forgotten. Oops, she thought to herself. Well, she _had_ just woken up and it only took her a few moments to remember, so it wasn't like it mattered anyways.

"No, I just felt like saying it," Stormpaw retorted. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Of course not," Larkpaw replied.

"Larkpaw, stop lazing around and come on!" Beechfur called amiably from by the camp entrance. "I'm going to show you how to hunt."

"Bye Stormpaw," Larkpaw hastily mewed to her sister, before bolting off after her new mentor. Beechfur didn't even pause at the stream that split around the island that RiverClan's camp was situated on before wading in and starting to swim across. Larkpaw hesitated before following him.

The water dragged at her pelt and it felt like she was going to be dragged with the current, but she swam her way across as quickly as she could manage. Her paws were heavy as she lifted them with each stroke and soon she was almost completely underwater, with only part of her head sticking up above the water.

Larkpaw felt relieved when they reached the other side of the stream, and she shook her pelt to try and dry it, but to no avail. "Watch where you're spraying that water," Beechfur said, backing away.

"Sorry," Larkpaw apologized, and immediately stopped. No sooner had she finished speaking then Beechfur was off running again, heading in the opposite direction from the camp and following the stream that led to the lake. Larkpaw hurriedly pelted after him, her shorter legs making it difficult to keep up.

They ran along for only a short while before they stopped at a spot near the stream. Sunlight sparkled on the surface of the clear, gurgling water, glistening off a school of fishes' scales that seemed to be in no hurry. Beechfur sat down at the edge of the stream, taking care to make sure that his shadow didn't fall upon the fish below.

Beechfur silently flicked his tail to the space next to him, signaling for Larkpaw to sit down. "You need to be quiet and whisper, otherwise the fish will swim away," Beechfur informed her when she had taken her seat. "Now, just watch what I do for now." Larkpaw nodded to say she understood and prepared to observe her mentor's every slight move.

Beechfur slowly positioned his paw right over the stream and waited. He looked relaxed, but Larkpaw could see that every muscle in his body was tense with concentration. Suddenly, his paw swooped down like an owl on a mouse and splashed the water, sending up shining drops of water that scattered back into the stream. When Beechfur brought his paw out of the stream, a fish was stuck in his claws, flopping around ungainly as it tried to free itself. With a swift bite from Beechfur, near what Larkpaw assumed to be the creature's neck, it was dispatched instantly.

"You have to make sure the fish don't know you're there," Beechfur instructed Larkpaw quietly as he set the fish down. "If it sees your shadow, it will think something's wrong and escape. If it hears you or you move too fast, it will swim away. You must be still, but ready for the strike when a fish comes near you. You also need to time it well so that it doesn't get away or slip right out of your claws."

Larkpaw drank in every word Beechfur told her, trying to remember everything at once as he motioned for her to try. She sat on the edge of the bank, very still with her paw stretched out over the water like she had seen the older warrior do. She felt herself tense, partly because that's what Beechfur had said to do and also in anticipation. She watched the fish intently, hardly daring to breathe as one of them slipped away from the others and started to swim towards her.

Larkpaw waited until the fish was right under her paw before she plunged it down beneath the cold surface of the water, landing squarely on the fish's head. The fish instantly tried to swim away, and Larkpaw thrust her other paw in the water to trap it. The sudden movement made her lose her balance however, and she toppled into the water, still grasping the fish in her paws.

Larkpaw held on to the fish stubbornly as she fell into the cold stream. She could feel the other fish swimming past her in their panic to try and flee, brushing right up against her fur. Luckily this part of the stream was shallow and Larkpaw was easily able to get back onto the bank, dragging the fish she still had in her paws with her.

Once she was on dry land again, Larkpaw bit the fish swiftly like Beechfur had and felt it go limp in her mouth. Larkpaw turned around with her catch held proudly in her mouth only to see Beechfur being racked with uncontrollable laughter in front of her. "Nice catch, Larkpaw," Beechfur finally managed to get out.

"It was my first try!" Larkpaw defended. "No one gets it perfectly their first time." Larkpaw set her fish down with Beechfur's and was slightly dismayed to see how small hers was next to his.

He must have seen her disappointed face, because Beechfur suddenly mewed, "You're right; you did a really good job for your first try. Though, now we'll have to move to a different spot since you scared away all the fish in this area."

"Aren't we going to explore the territory?" Larkpaw asked.

"The Clan needs fresh-kill right now, since we're still healing from greencough," Beechfur told her. "This is the best way to help your Clan for now. Later we'll join a patrol and I'll show you around our territory then." Larkpaw felt a glow of pride within her as Beechfur said "our territory." I'm going to protect the Clan now, too, she thought happily.

Larkpaw followed Beechfur to another spot and started fishing again, with him watching her carefully and pointing out her mistakes. Luckily she didn't fall into the stream for a second time, but then again, she was being extra careful not to. She didn't catch many fish, and it wasn't long before Beechfur suggested going back to camp for a little while.

Larkpaw carried the two fish she had caught that day proudly into camp, with Beechfur right behind her with three. Nettlepaw was sitting in front of the apprentices' den, but he ran over when he saw Larkpaw. "Nice catch!" he praised her.

"Thanks," Larkpaw replied happily, but with the fish in her mouth, it sounded more like "Hankes."

"Larkpaw, take your fresh-kill to the medicine cats, then you can get something to eat for yourself," Beechfur told her. "I'm assuming since Nettlepaw is just standing around that the elders have already been given something to eat?" Nettlepaw's ears seemed to turn red as he hurried to the fresh-kill pile before heading off to the elders' den.

Larkpaw watched him go for a moment, then headed over to the medicine cats' den. Larkpaw paused for a moment before heading in, very nearly running into Willowshine. "Sorry!" Larkpaw exclaimed, which sounded more like "Tharry" with her mouth still blocked like it was.

"It's okay," Willowshine replied after she took a moment to figure out what Larkpaw had said. "Oh, did you bring fresh-kill for us? Thank you, can you set it over there?" Willowshine indicated the place by pointing her tail to an empty area of the den, then continued on her way to the back of the den to the store of herbs.

Larkpaw set down the two fish in the spot Willowshine had told her and looked around. "Where's Mothwing?" she asked Willowshine.

"She's out collecting herbs," Willowshine answered absent-mindedly.

Feeling that she wasn't needed there anymore, Larkpaw silently exited the den and left Willowshine to her work. Scanning the clearing, Larkpaw was disappointed when she didn't spot Stormpaw. She must be out in the territory, Larkpaw decided. Her gaze caught Nettlepaw as he left the elders' den, and she bounded over to him.

Nettlepaw looked up as Larkpaw came over to him. "So, how do you like being an apprentice?" he asked.

"It's great!" Larkpaw replied excitedly. "I caught my first fresh-kill today, but I fell into the stream the first time…I still caught that fish though!" Nettlepaw purred in amusement.

"I did worse," Nettlepaw comforted Larkpaw when her face seemed to fall. "The first time I tried to catch a mouse, it moved and I jumped right into a patch of brambles. I had to ask Graymist to help me out when I got stuck."

"You're right, I think I did much better in comparison," Larkpaw joked.

"Have you eaten yet?" Nettlepaw asked. When Larkpaw shook her head, he added, "There's probably something left on the pile if you hurry."

"Thanks Nettlepaw!" Larkpaw called over her shoulder as she headed over to the fresh-kill pile. On her way, she saw Reedwhisker and Stormpaw enter the camp. Based on the strange and unfamiliar scents clinging to her sister's pelt, Larkpaw guessed that she had seen the borders and other parts of the territory.

"Stormpaw, over here!" Larkpaw yelled from next to the fresh-kill pile. Stormpaw looked around the camp, trying to locate her sister, then ran over when she saw Larkpaw. "How did your first day of being an apprentice go?" Larkpaw asked as she picked a fish off of the top of the pile.

"It was so cool!" Stormpaw informed her sister. "We went around the territory and Reedwhisker pointed out the borders and landmarks. ShadowClan and WindClan sure are smelly, though." As she said this, Stormpaw wrinkled her nose for emphasis. "How about you?"

Larkpaw launched into a full account of her day, including how she slipped into the stream, between bites of her fish. Stormpaw also ate while she listened to her sister's story, her ears pricked. When she had finished speaking, Larkpaw was out of breath. "I think we're going on a border patrol later, too," Larkpaw added as she finished her meal.

"Sounds like fun," Stormpaw told her sister. "I think Reedwhisker's a great mentor. He pointed out a lot of little things that I never would've noticed, like types of trees and ways to tell which direction the camp is if you ever get lost."

"I hope Beechfur teaches me those things too," Larkpaw thought aloud.

"I'm sure he will," Stormpaw replied, nudging her sister playfully. "It'd probably be a good idea to take a nap or something before going on the patrol, too."

"Yeah, you're right," Larkpaw agreed, standing up. "Fishing wore me out," she threw over her shoulder jokingly before pushing into the apprentices' den and heading to her nest. Grasspaw and Beetlepaw were also sleeping, and Pricklepaw was just waking up, but other than that, the den was empty. Larkpaw settled down into her nest and instantly fell asleep without a second thought.

* * *

A/N Sorry it took me a little while and that it's so much shorter than the others; I had no idea what to write! I'm not sure if any of that is true about how the cats in RiverClan fish either; I just made it up as I went. Thanks to Shadow for suggesting I write about fishing; good luck on the next chapter! ^.^

~ Fwirl


	5. Chapter 4

**Heeeeey! It's Shadow again! Sorry for the extremely long update time, but Fwirl and I have other fics to attend to as well as this one. Check 'em out! **

**Without further ado, on to the story!**

* * *

Stormpaw could hardly contain her excitement as she padded after Reedwhisker towards the entrance tunnel. She had just watched Larkpaw leave a few heartbeats before, and now it was her turn to roam the territory, learning all that she could.

"Are we going to go to the border?" she asked her mentor excitedly.

Reedwhisker let out a short purr at his apprentice's enthusiasm. "Yes," he replied. "We're going to patrol the WindClan border. We may even catch some prey on the way there."

Stormpaw let out a little gasp. She might catch her first prey today! "Can we go now?" She kneaded the ground impatiently with her front paws.

Reedwhisker nodded. "We need to wait for Graymist and Beetlepaw. They're coming with us."

Stormpaw glanced around for the pale gray she-cat and her apprentice. Not seeing them, Stormpaw sat down hard on the ground, disappointed. Her sudden movement lifted a thin willow leaf into the air; Stormpaw watched it's quick descent with wide eyes before turning to face it. She crouched down so far her white belly fur was brushing the loose sand of the camp. She narrowed her eyes and waggled her haunches, finally releasing with a huge leap that took her soaring over the leaf and into the reeds at the edge of the clearing.

Yowling in shock, Stormpaw wriggled fiercely, twisting this way and that before giving up, panting. Reeds blocked her vision in every direction, filling her sight with light brown.

"Hold on, Stormpaw. I've got you." A sudden tug on her tail made her nearly leap out of her fur.

"Who's there?" she cried, thrashing even harder and feeling soft sand beneath her paws.

"Hold still, mousebrain!" The voice panted as Stormpaw's hind paw smacked him in the face. "It's Beetlepaw!"

Stormpaw ceased her writhing immediately, shame flushing through her pelt. Beetlepaw got a firmer grip on her silver pelt, then leaned back and heaved with all his strength. Stormpaw came loose from the reeds and nearly lost her balance again.

"Thanks," she rasped, out of breath.

"No… problem," he responded likewise. He shook out his dark brown pelt, a gleam of humor in his amber eyes. "Ready to go patrol?" he asked her happily.

"Yes!" she mewed. "I've been waiting for this for moons!" She twirled in place, chasing her own tail in a moment of kit-like pleasure.

Beetlepaw laughed. "We'll see how much you like it once we're done. You'll feel different when your paws are aching from all the walking."

Stormpaw shook her head firmly. "No way!" she argued. "I'll be fine!"

Beetlepaw snickered. "We'll see."

A loud yowl sounded from entrance tunnel. "Are you two going to gossip like queens or are you going to patrol?" It was Graymist, a frown on her face.

Beetlepaw started at the sound of his mentor. "Coming, Graymist!" He turned to look at Stormpaw. "You _really _don't want to get her mad," he whispered.

Looking at her own mentor and the half-hearted annoyance in his green eyes, she hastily agreed.

The small patrol made their way across the two streams that separated the RiverClan camp from the surrounding trees. Large beeches and willows flowed up gracefully from the ground, their green leaves blowing in the cool breeze.

Stormpaw padded alongside her mentor happily, looking around for any trace of prey. She parted her jaws to draw in scent.

Noticing her gesture, Reedwhisker turned to look down at her. "What do you scent, Stormpaw?" he mewed questioningly.

Stormpaw took in a deeper breath. The scents of the trees and the rushes nearby clouded her nose. Wrinkling it, she responded, "Trees."

Reedwhisker laughed. "What else?" he pressed gently.

Stormpaw shook her head to clear her scent glands. Inhaling, she mewed happily, "Larkpaw!"

Reedwhisker nodded. "Your sister and Beechfur went this way." He motioned with his tail down a clear path in the forest. "We will be going this way, though." He started down a path to the side of the other. Looking down it, Stormpaw could only see a few pawsteps before the trailing willow leaves obscured her vision.

Beetlepaw bounded up to her. "Are you excited yet?" he mewed teasingly as they followed their mentors.

"Of course!" Stormpaw's voice was shocked-sounding. "I've wanted to explore forever!" She repressed the desire to spin again. Racing ahead, she heard Beetlepaw plodding heavily behind her as he tried to catch up.

"Slow down, Stormpaw!" Stormpaw heard her mentor's cry from behind her, but was too exhilarated by her own speed and the feeling of freedom to stop and go back. Her paws pounded the ground, sending her body flying over the grassy earth beneath her. She closed her eyes as the wind from her passage stung them.

"Halt, RiverClan rat!"

Stormpaw opened her eyes in shock at the voice, digging her paws into the soil in an attempt to slow down. The dirt scraped at her soft paws as she skidded to an ungraceful stop. Her jaws dropped in horror at the sight before her.

A full WindClan patrol was bristling before her, just, she assumed, on their side of the border. From this short distance, their bitter, unfamiliar scent hit Stormpaw like a wind-driven wave on the shore.

"What do you think you were doing?" demanded a blue-black tom aggressively. His yellow eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

"Be calm, Crowfeather," a gray she-cat mewed calmly, but keeping her eyes on Stormpaw the whole time. "She's obviously a new apprentice."

The tom, Crowfeather, let out an irritated sigh through his nose. "New apprentice or not, she's still a trespasser," he said firmly, giving Stormpaw a unfriendly stare.

"What's going on here?" To her relief, Reedwhisker and the rest of the patrol came bounding up behind her; the very scent of RiverClan comforted Stormpaw. "Ashfoot? Would you care to explain?"

A black tom opened his mouth to reply, but the she-cat quickly cut him off. "He was speaking to _me, _Breezepelt." Her voice contained barely-concealed dislike for the young tom; he narrowed his eyes in response, but said nothing.

Ashfoot turned to look Reedwhisker in the eye. "I assume this is _your _apprentice, Reedwhisker?" She flicked her tail at Stormpaw, not even looking at her.

Reedwhisker dipped his head. "She is," he replied shortly. "This is her first day out."

"Ah." Ashfoot did not sound amused. "I hope you were getting to the part where you tell her not to cross into other Clans' territories?"

Reedwhisker curled his lip. "That's none of WindClan's business."

Ashfoot's whiskers twitched. "It's my Clan's business when we have RiverClan cats on WindClan territory." She flicked her tail to her patrol, but it was a signal to stand down. "We'll let it slide this time, but next…" She trailed off poignantly, her dark eyes on Stormpaw.

Stormpaw felt a rush of dislike for the WindClan cat but held her tongue.

Ashfoot nodded to Reedwhisker and Graymist. "See you at the next Gathering," she mewed in a cold voice, before turning tail and heading back into the heart of WindClan territory.

When the scent of the unfamiliar cats had vanished in the slight breeze, Graymist rounded on Stormpaw. "What were you thinking?" she spat. "Couldn't you smell WindClan scent?"

Reedwhisker quickly intervened. "Graymist, you're being unfair. Don't you remember _your _first time out on patrol?" His eyes gleamed with humor. "I seem to remember a certain Graypaw who ran right into a bees nest in search of honey."

Graymist's eyes widened in shock. "You shouldn't be teasing, Reedwhisker," she scolded, her bristling fur giving away her embarrassment. "We have a patrol to finish. Come on, Beetlepaw." She turned to her apprentice, outrage overtaking her when she noticed his twitching whiskers and barely concealed laughter. Hissing in aggravation, she aimed a sheathed paw at his head and chased him back where they came from and out of sight.

Reedwhisker let out a sigh and turned back to face Stormpaw. "Let's not try to aggravate her anymore, shall we? I hate it when cats are angry."

Stormpaw let out an embarrassed purr. "Sorry for nearly getting us attacked," she mumbled shuffling her paws. "I was just so excited about being an apprentice…"

Reedwhisker gave her a lick over the ears. "It's okay," he said warmly. "And now that we're here, let's memorize WindClan scent, alright?" He flicked his tail towards a dead stump. "This is the border with WindClan," he explained. "It runs al the way from this stump to the fence by Horseplace."

Stormpaw nodded, drinking in every word he was saying. "Does WindClan ever come onto this side of the border?" she asked tentatively.

Reedwhisker shook his head firmly. "No one belongs on RiverClan territory but RiverClan cats. That's one of the basics of the warrior code." He fixed her with an intense green stare. "If you ever see a cat from another Clan on this side of the border, you must immediately report it to either me or Leopardstar. Do you understand?"

Stormpaw nodded mutely. "Protect the Clan even at the cost of your own life," she quoted softly.

Reedwhisker looked pleased. "Exactly, Stormpaw. You'll make a great warrior." He paused for a moment. "That is, once you learn the borders."

They shared a laugh, before Reedwhisker lead her after Graymist and Beetlepaw for some hunting training.

When they returned to the clearing, Stormpaw, with her jaws full of prey, padded into the center of the clearing with her tail high. She glanced around for any trace of her sister, but Larkpaw was nowhere to be found. _She must still be hunting with Beechfur, _Stormpaw thought. She felt a little disappointed; she wanted to share her achievement with Larkpaw.

She was just padding away to eat by herself when a warm breath ruffled her ear fur. "I see you caught a lot of prey, dear one." Stormpaw looked up to see Otterheart's affectionate face above her own.

"Look, Otterheart! I even caught a blackbird!" She prodded the fresh-kill with one white paw. "Look how big it is!" she squeaked happily.

A purr rose from her mother's throat. "I'm so proud of you," she meowed, licking her daughter's ear. "You and Larkpaw both." Her eyes clouded with sorrow. "I'm sure Streamclaw would be proud of you as well."

Stormpaw didn't know what to say; these brief periods of sadness from her mother made her feel awkward. She pressed her body against Otterheart's legs, purring.

Otterheart shook her head briskly. "Do you want to help me bring some of this to the elders? I'm sure they would appreciate it." Otterheart's green eyes, so much like her own, gazed warmly down at her. Nodding in response, she picked her prey back up and followed her mother to the elders' den, anticipation prickling her paws at the thought of telling her sister about her day's adventure.

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**So... How was it? We want to hear your feedback!**

**R&R!**

**Shadow**


	6. Chapter 5

A/N I'm really, really, reeeeaaaally sorry that I took so long to update! I'd like to say that I was faithfully working on my other fics like Shadow or doing something else that's productive, but in all truth, I was just being lazy. T-T

So on to the chapter!

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**Chapter Five**

A full moon shone high above the treetops of the forest, out of the grasp of their bare branches reaching up as if to snatch it right out of the sky. The light reflected off of the dark, unfathomable depths of the lake, not even a ripple disturbing its placid surface. A slight breeze swept through the trees, making the branches creak and groan like living things, but otherwise the night was silent.

Larkpaw felt a thrill of excitement and anxiousness jolt through her body, making her shiver as she followed closely behind Beechfur. Stormpaw padded next to her, the moonlight making her dark silver tabby fur shine as if she was a cat descended from StarClan. Their mother, Otterheart, had stayed at camp and Beechfur and Reedwhisker had taken it upon themselves to look after the two young apprentices.

_My first Gathering!_ Larkpaw thought excitedly. She was practically bouncing on her paws every time she thought those three words. It made her so happy to be an almost-warrior of her Clan, to fight and hunt for it, and do whatever she needed to to defend it. Glancing over at Stormpaw, Larkpaw could see that her sister was just as eager, if not more so.

Leopardstar led the group of RiverClan cats, Mistyfoot at her side and Willowshine and Mothwing behind her. Rippletail, Beetlepaw, Mallowtail, and Robinwing brought up the rear, while Nettlepaw, Copperpaw, Mintfur, and Icewing walked along the flanks. For some reason the atmosphere seemed tense to Larkpaw, and the premonition that something was going to happen kept itching at her thoughts like a flea on her tail.

The RiverClan cats were oddly silent as they neared the shore of the lake, and Larkpaw was surprised to see another large group of cats walking very closely to the edge of the vast body of water. She scented the air curiously and was confronted by a barrage of unfamiliar scents.

"Greetings, Leopardstar," a tom with fiery orange fur from the foreign group of cats greeted, politely bowing his head.

"Hello Firestar," Leopardstar replied, her voice cool and somehow sarcastic, yet still representing some form of respect.

The name Firestar sounded familiar to Larkpaw and it took her a moment to figure out where she had heard it before. _Of course, _Larkpaw suddenly realized. _That's ThunderClan's leader! Then those must be ThunderClan cats that came for the Gathering._

"So those are ThunderClan cats?" Stormpaw whispered to Larkpaw, having come to the same conclusion that she had. "They smell really weird."

"Yeah, you're right," Larkpaw silently agreed. "They don't smell like fish or water at all; I wonder if they've been eating right." The two groups went on towards the island and the tree bridge, neither side talking to the other or attempting to interact in any way.

When they finally reached the tree bridge, Firestar flicked his tail for Leopardstar to go ahead. "After you," he mewed courteously. Leopardstar strode past him haughtily, her head held high as she gracefully jumped onto the protruding roots of the long dead trunk.

The fallen monolith looked enormous in Larkpaw's keen eyes. She couldn't even begin to describe the sense of awe that washed over her at its sheer size and strength. The branches reached out and twisted over one another in intricate patterns that she couldn't even begin to follow if she lived a hundred moons, and the roots, most of which were as thick as her entire body, seemed to reach out and try to trip her up when it was her turn to jump.

Larkpaw crouched down low to the ground and leaped as high and hard as she could to end up scrabbling clumsily for a paw hold to pull herself up. Beechfur, who had ascended the bridge before her, gently pulled on her scruff until she was standing on the tree next to him.

"Thanks Beechfur," Larkpaw mewed, embarrassment burning her ears.

"It's always hard the first time around," Beechfur told her sympathetically, then turned towards the island. "Come on, we don't want to block the way for the other cats." He threaded his way easily between the branches that stuck up at odd angles, but Larkpaw didn't have such an easy time. The tree limbs tugged and dragged at her fur when she couldn't move past them, giving her a few stinging scratches.

She heard Stormpaw behind her, crashing into the branches as well, and felt a little better that she wasn't the only one who was so clumsy here. When it came to jumping off of the tree trunk, Larkpaw handled that much more easily, leaping almost gracefully down onto the shore.

The pebbles that covered this part of the island clacked noisily under Larkpaw's paws as she moved out of the way for Stormpaw to jump down. The other RiverClan cats were loitering on the beach, waiting for the last of the Clanmates to join them. When they were finally all together, Leopardstar waved her tail and padded through the undergrowth, the rest of the Clan following her, and Larkpaw following them.

Larkpaw gasped as she left the prickly bushes behind and entered a large clearing. A large oak tree dominated the center of the clearing, towering over the cats that were milling around and conversing with one another in small groups. Its branches were as numerous as the stars in Silverpelt, each one competing against the others it seemed to be the highest up.

"Okay, Larkpaw, Stormpaw," Beechfur instructed as the RiverClan cats started to disperse into the crowd of waiting cats. "Don't give away any important information about RiverClan that the other Clans don't already know about. Understood?"

"Yes," Larkpaw replied, trying to keep the anticipation out of her voice. Finally, she'd be able to meet cats from other Clans, and on friendly terms! Stormpaw echoed her reply, her eyes scanning the cats in barely suppressed excitement. Beechfur reluctantly nodded and left them to greet someone from another Clan.

Larkpaw suddenly felt very small compared to this great gathering of cats, and looked nervously around. "Come on, those cats over there look like they're having fun!" Stormpaw suddenly announced, nudging her sister and promptly heading over to a group of about four or five apprentices. Relieved, Larkpaw fell into step beside her sister as they approached the group.

A black she-cat noticed them first. She stared at them, but not in an unfriendly or hostile way. "Hey, are you two new apprentices?" she asked curiously. Larkpaw and Stormpaw nodded after a glance at each other. "I'm Dawnpaw. This is Tigerpaw, Redpaw, Sunpaw, and Icepaw." As Dawnpaw introduced each apprentice with a flick of her tail, Larkpaw and her sister mewed a small greeting to each of them.

"I'm from ShadowClan," Dawnpaw went on. "This is my brother–" she pointed to Tigerpaw "–and Redpaw's from ShadowClan too. Sunpaw's from WindClan, and Icepaw is from ThunderClan."

"I'm Stormpaw, and this is my sister Larkpaw," Stormpaw introduced. "We're from RiverClan." A touch of pride colored her voice, and the other apprentices shared an amused, but understanding smile with one another.

"Can I ask you something?" Larkpaw requested. "Why do all of the Clans seem so tense?"

Dawnpaw sighed. "Nothing's been the same between the Clans ever since those battles six moons ago," she told them. "All of the Clans are still tense, expecting a fight to break out at any moment. I've noticed it's mostly just apprentices and young warriors that talk with one another at Gatherings these days."

Looking around, Larkpaw saw that she was right; none of the senior warriors were talking with cats outside of their own Clan. They kept to themselves, though they didn't show any real outward hostility to the other Clan cats, since they were under the truce of the full moon. "You're right," Larkpaw replied.

"Well of course," Dawnpaw teased.

"Don't tell her that, it'll go to her head," Tigerpaw joked. Dawnpaw nudged him in the side just as Leopardstar leapt onto one of the branches of the oak tree and yowled for the Gathering to start. Four cats, one of them being Mistyfoot, settled on roots of the great tree that lay above the ground, while the other cats grew quiet and looked up expectantly. Larkpaw and Stormpaw sat down next to the apprentices, and Larkpaw didn't even realize Nettlepaw had seated himself next to her until Leopardstar began to speak.

"Would you like to begin, Blackstar?" Leopardstar asked another cat that was sitting on one of the branches. The cat she had addressed was a huge white tom, but even more noticeable were his large jet-back paws. The cat, Blackstar Larkpaw presumed, nodded slightly in thanks, and turned to face the gathered cats.

"The prey is running well," Blackstar informed them. "We have two new warriors; Owlpelt and Shrewtail." Many cats turned to look and softly congratulate the new warriors, who proudly accepted the attention. "Unfortunately, Tallpoppy died just a few days ago." Many sad and comforting murmurs went around for the deceased elder, and Blackstar waited a moment before saying, "That is all."

"I would like to go next," Leopardstar mewed, looking at the two other leaders to see if they objected. When no protest was made, she continued. "RiverClan have been thriving well. We have two new warriors: Mallowtail and Robinwing." Again, congratulations were passed around and looks were exchanged. Larkpaw nervously shuffled her paws in front of her, knowing what would be next.

"We also have two new apprentices: Larkpaw and Stormpaw," Leopardstar continued. Larkpaw could feel her pelt prickle as many cats turned to look and stare at her. Even though she felt a little bit uneasy, she raised her head proudly while Stormpaw did the same, relishing in the spotlight. "One of our senior warriors, Blackclaw, also retired to become an elder." Understanding whispers passed through the crowd; after all, Blackclaw had served his Clan for a long time.

At a look from Leopardstar, a brown tabby tom stepped forward on his branch to gain attention. Larkpaw guessed it was Onestar, the only other leader left that she hadn't seen. "Things have also been going well in WindClan," Onestar announced, then narrowed his eyes. "Well, almost. We found scents of ThunderClan crossing into our territory, and I warn you now Firestar that I will not allow that to pass."

"ThunderClan have not crossed the border," Firestar replied calmly, though his eyes had also narrowed slightly. "Though I've noticed that several times WindClan has tried to change the border, and I mean to talk about that." A few cats, ThunderClan Larkpaw guessed, cheered Firestar's words. However, Larkpaw also noticed that ripples of unease spread through the ShadowClan and RiverClan cats, who weren't looking for another fight when they had just recently recovered from the last battles.

"WindClan need more territory," Onestar retorted. "The prey has been unusually low recently."

"Newleaf is just beginning; prey is short everywhere," Firestar told him. "That doesn't give you the right to try and take out territory. We have Clanmates that need fresh-kill just as much as your Clan does." Turning away from Onestar and back to the assembled cats, Firestar went on. "We have two new apprentices, Toadpaw and Rosepaw. Other than that, there is no news."

Less praise went around for the new apprentices, who Larkpaw could see over by a black she-cat with green eyes. The warrior looked over and caught her gaze, but Larkpaw didn't avert her eyes. Finally she looked away when Leopardstar spoke up once more. "Unless anyone has something else to add, I'd say this Gathering is over." Silence lay over the Gathering until Leopardstar nodded to the other leaders and leaped down the tree to stand next to her deputy.

All the cats in the clearing started standing, saying their good byes, and walking back over towards their leaders. "Bye," Larkpaw called after the apprentices as she, Nettlepaw, and her sister departed to join their Clanmates. They had almost reached Reedwhisker and Robinwing when a cat caught Larkpaw's eye. The black she-cat from earlier was winding her way through the crowd of cats towards her.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be right there," Larkpaw told Stormpaw and Nettlepaw. Stormpaw had a curious look in her eyes, but nodded all the same, knowing Larkpaw would tell her about it later. Nettlepaw hung back a little, then followed Stormpaw. Larkpaw dropped back until she was side by side with the warrior.

"What Clan are you from?" Larkpaw asked curiously, then wondered if that was a rude question to ask.

"I'm from ThunderClan," the she-cat replied proudly. "You're a new RiverClan apprentice, right?"

Larkpaw nodded her head. "I'm Larkpaw. Why are WindClan and ThunderClan fighting each other more so than the other Clans?" The question seemed to catch the warrior off guard, and she seemed to think about it for a moment.

"I think it's because WindClan broke the warrior code and attacked us," she finally answered, speaking slowly. Then she glanced down at Larkpaw as if realizing who she was talking to. "That isn't entirely true, though, I guess. We've been fighting for awhile now, but I'm sure it will pass eventually. Anyways, you should get going and join your Clan."

"Okay, thanks," Larkpaw replied, running off, then stopping and turning back. "Wait, what's your name?"

"I'm Hollyleaf," the black she-cat replied. Larkpaw looked around for her, but the warrior had already melted into the throng of hurrying cats. Turning back, Larkpaw raced for where she could see her sister waiting impatiently for her near the undergrowth that separated the beach and the clearing.

"What was that about?" Stormpaw asked when Larkpaw had rejoined her and they were walking with their Clan. Larkpaw quickly told her about Hollyleaf and what she had said about the two Clans having been fighting a lot lately.

"Makes you glad you're in RiverClan, huh?" Larkpaw finished. Now they were in the forest once more, nearly back at camp.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to have a particular Clan that I've been feuding with for moons," Stormpaw replied thoughtfully. "In RiverClan, we don't have one particular enemy, so we aren't constantly fighting." Larkpaw nodded her agreement as she brushed past the reeds blocking the camp.

As Larkpaw entered the camp, she thought it looked unnaturally still since everyone was in their dens by now. The cats returning from the Gathering slowly filed away into their dens, murmuring about the most recent news as they settled down for a night's sleep.

Paws heavy with sleep, Larkpaw trudged into the apprentices' den and practically fell into her nest she was so tired. Stormpaw lay down on her left, next to Copperpaw, and Nettlepaw rested on her right. The last thing Larkpaw thought about before she slipped into sleep, was that the Gathering had turned out much more differently than she had expected.

The next morning, Larkpaw was awoken by a sharp prodding in her side. She cracked open one eye to see Stormpaw leaning over her. "Come on dozy paws, we're on the next border patrol." Groaning, Larkpaw stood up and stretched her back before facing her sister again.

"Who else is going?" she asked around a huge yawn.

"Reedwhisker and Mistyfoot," Stormpaw answered. "We're going to go check the WindClan border." Larkpaw followed her out of the den and into the camp, where light from the rising sun made everything seem especially bright and sharp. The two older warriors were waiting at the camp entrance, and the two apprentices bounded over to them.

"Morning," Larkpaw greeted.

Reedwhisker nodded in return and Mistyfoot mewed, "How was your first Gathering?"

"It was…" Larkpaw paused, looking for the right words. "Well, it wasn't like I thought it would be. I expected the Clans to be friendlier, I guess." She shrugged.

"We're in hard times now," Mistyfoot told her, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. "It used to be that every cat would converse with each other, but now everyone's afraid that the cat they befriend today will be an enemy tomorrow."

"That makes sense," Larkpaw replied after thinking her words over a little. The patrol walked on quietly, passing by tempting scents of prey on their way to check the border. When they got there, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just another normal patrol.

Larkpaw was just about to follow her patrol back into the forest when something on the moor caught her eye. She stopped and squinted at it, trying to make out what it was. "Mistyfoot, is that a cat running this way?" she called tentatively.

Mistyfoot came back out of the undergrowth and looked at where a shape, now clear enough to see that it was indeed a cat, was moving towards them at a fast lope. Larkpaw scented the air and was alarmed to smell blood mixed with a slight smell of ThunderClan on the WindClan cat.

The cat, a light brown tabby she-cat, stopped in front of the patrol, panting for breath. Her ear was torn and bleeding, and there was a gash along her flank, along with other numerous scratches. "You have to help us," she gasped breathlessly. "ThunderClan attacked our camp!"

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A/N Sooo, how was it? I tried to make it longer than usual because I took too long in updating, but I think I ended up making this chapter boring. There wasn't a lot of dialouge; mostly just descriptions and me explaining what was happening. -_-'

Shadow's up next! ^.^

~ Fwirl


	7. Chapter 6

**Yaaaaay! It's an update! (This is Shadow btw) This is a pretty short chapter by my standards, but I'm tired from finishing up my other fic and plant sitting this _enormous _plant called a "pitcher plant." Look it up, guys. Read up on some botany. XD **

**On to the chapter!**

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Stormpaw gasped in shock as she watched Mistyfoot take control of the situation. _A battle! _she thought with a shiver of excitement. She looked over to her sister, but Larkpaw was staring down at the WindClan tabby she-cat with wide blue eyes.

"What happened?" the deputy demanded. "Why are you here, Heathertail?"

The Windclan cat panted for breath while a trail of blood dripped down the side of her face. "ThunderClan…in our camp." Her voice was harsh from yowling in battle. Taking a deep breath, she went on: "Firestar brought a battle patrol right into our camp and told us it was a warning not to hunt on their territory."

Mistyfoot frowned, clearly thinking hard. "ThunderClan hasn't launched an attack for as long as I can remember," she mewed quietly.

"What do you think?" Reedwhisker asked her. "What should we do?"

Mistyfoot hesitated, looking down at Larkpaw and Stormpaw; Stormpaw could not erase the excitement off her expression before the deputy saw it. "We need to go tell Leopardstar." She turned to Heathertail. "You come with us," she ordered.

Heathertail's blue eyes blazed. "Are you taking me prisoner?" she hissed.

Reedwhisker sighed impatiently. "You need to tell Leopardstar what happened," he pointed out.

The WindClan warrior narrowed her eyes, but came along obediently, her chin held high.

Stormpaw bounced up to her sister. "A battle, Larkpaw!" she whispered breathlessly. "We may get to fight!"

Her sister's eyes glowed with excitement. "I know!" she squealed. "But I wonder if there's a mistake; ThunderClan wouldn't just attack…would they?" she asked Mistyfoot.

The deputy's blue eyes were speculative. "ThunderClan normally doesn't attack," she admitted as they leapt over a small stream. "This is serious, nothing to be excited about," she said with a pointed look at Stormpaw.

Heathertail was padding unsteadily between the two RiverClan warriors, her tail tip flicking from side-to-side impatiently.

As they approached the camp, a loud yowl rang out. Beetlepaw came crashing out of the reeds, his pelt bristling. "Who's—Oh. It's you, Mistyfoot."

She dipped her head to the apprentice. "Hello, Beetlepaw. Shouldn't you be training with your mentor?" she asked as they padded by.

"Graymist let me guard the camp today; she said I was ready." He wriggled happily, turning to look at Stormpaw and Larkpaw. "Did you guys…" He trailed off as he stared with wide amber eyes at Heathertail—noticing her for the first time. "Who're you?" he asked sharply, his fur on end again.

Reedwhisker aimed a half-hearted blow at the apprentice's dark brown tail. "Mind your own business," he mewed sternly. "Now go tell Leopardstar that we're here with a WindClan warrior."

Beetlepaw opened his mouth to protest, then nodded and turned to race towards Leopardstar's den.

Larkpaw leaned over to whisper in Stormpaw's ear, "What do you think is going to happen?"

Stormpaw shrugged nonchalantly, but her paws tingled with anticipation. "Maybe we'll go help WindClan," she suggested. "Have they helped us before?"

Larkpaw shook her speckled head. "I'm not sure…I don't think that Beechfur or the elders ever told me."

"Look!" Stormpaw pointed her dark tabby tail in the direction of the leader's den: Leopardstar had just padded out of the river-smoothed cave that was her den. Shaking her spotted pelt, she padded into the center of the clearing and yowled for a meeting.

"Just think," Stormpaw whispered. "We might get to go fight."

"Don't you think we're a little too young?" Larkpaw asked, but her pelt was bristling with excitement.

Stormpaw bit her lip, and turned to look up at Leopardstar as she talked quietly with Heathertail. The spotted leader wasn't showing any emotion, not even pity, as she stared at the WindClan cat's multiple wounds.

Nodding her head, Leopardstar looked up. "We need to discuss this matter," she mewed to the Clan. "ThunderClan have been our allies before, but given certain recent events…" She trailed off but gave Mistyfoot a pointed look.

Stormpaw watched the exchange with wide eyes. _They know something! _she realized. _Something to make them not want to be allies with ThunderClan!_

Leopardstar sighed. "We're going to help WindClan." She glared down at Heathertail. "Onestar will owe us," she growled.

Heathertail narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

Looking back up at the Clan, Leopardstar gave quick orders. "Reedwhisker, Rippletail, Mintfur, Pinefur, and Rainstorm, I want you to come with me and Mistyfoot." She glanced over the watching cats. "Mintfur, Pinefur, bring your apprentices. It's time for their first battle."

Nettlepaw and Robinpaw exchanged an excited glance, while Beetlepaw watched them sullenly.

"We aren't going to the battle?" Stormpaw asked her sister, a cold pit of unhappiness in her belly. "But I wanted to fight!"

"Listen," Larkpaw shushed her.

Leopardstar was still speaking: "We'll go straight to the WindClan camp," she announced. "If I know Firestar, he hasn't sent in a huge battle patrol. We'll easily take them."

A cheer rose as she finished speaking. She flicked her tail to her warriors and the battle patrol vanished out the camp entrance, their scent fading in the crisp air.

Stormpaw watched them go with disappointment. She had been looking forward to fighting for her Clan, but now it seemed like she would never get to battle. She sighed gustily, looking over at her sister to see her own expression reflected onto her sister's face.

"We could have fought well," Larkpaw protested. "We've had battle training!"

"I guess it's not enough," Stormpaw grumbled. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Or maybe it is."

Larkpaw's pale eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked in a whisper.

"Well, what if we went along with the patrol anyway? What if we snuck into the battle?" She puffed out her chest. "Imagine if we beat one of the big ThunderClan cats like Brambleclaw or Firestar…how happy Leopardstar would be! She might make us warriors early!"

Larkpaw looked uneasy. "But Leopardstar didn't say we could go," she said slowly. "Isn't that breaking the rules?"

Stormpaw glared at her sister. "Don't you want to serve the Clan?" she demanded.

Larkpaw laughed softly. "Of course," she mewed, "but I want to serve it when my mentor says I can."

Stormpaw flicked her ears. "Well, _I'm _going to WindClan," she said loftily. "I guess I'm going by myself…all by myself," she repeated with a sigh, turning to start padding away. "All _alone," _she mewed sadly, her eyes gleaming in mischief as she waited for Larkpaw to change her mind.

"Wait!" Larkpaw cried. "I'm coming with you!" She ran up beside her sister, her speckled pelt bristling. "We may get in trouble," she whispered.

"But we might not," Stormpaw countered. She gave a happy wriggle. "This is going to be so exciting!"

Larkpaw nodded in agreement, and the two sisters began to pad sneakily to the camp entrance.

"Where are you two going?" It was Graymist.

Stifling a groan at being confronted by the stern warrior, Stormpaw mewed cheerily, "We're going to make dirt."

Graymist frowned. "Really?" she pressed.

"We'll be back as quick as we can," Larkpaw insisted.

The warrior looked at them suspiciously, but let them pass. "Take a warrior with you," she meowed suddenly. "We don't know if ThunderClan are on _our _territory.

"But the dirtplace is on the other side—away from ThunderClan," Stormpaw argued. "We'll be fine."

Graymist narrowed her green eyes. "I want you to take a warrior with you," she growled.

Stormpaw sighed. "We'll be back in a few heartbeats," she hedged. "Come on, Larkpaw"

The two sisters dashed out of view of the warrior before she could say anymore. Stormpaw found herself laughing at her own courage in confronting the rather scary she-cat. "We'll have to double-back," she mewed to Larkpaw, "around the edge of the camp so Graymist doesn't see us."

"Okay," Larkpaw agreed, running alongside Stormpaw. "We'll have to hurry; Leopardstar is probably there already."

The two apprentices ran full-speed through the territory, heading towards the battle in WindClan's territory. They paused on the border between the territories, noses lifted to take in scent.

Stormpaw kneaded the ground nervously. "I guess this is it," she mewed lamely.

Larkpaw turned to face her. "Are you sure we should do this?" she asked in a quavering voice.

Stormpaw turned back to face the moorland. She fancied that she could hear the yowls of battle and the clashing of fangs and claws. "Yes," she said firmly and took her first step into WindClan territory.

* * *

**Ohhhh! Gotcha back, Fwirl! I leave _you _with the cliffie this time. Haha! **

**By the way, my pitcher plant's name is "Audrey 3."**

**...**

**Those of you familiar with "Little Shop of Horrors" should either be laughing now or wondering what on Earth is wrong with me. XD Take your pick.**

**Fwirl's up next! Good luck with the battle scene, Fwirly! :P**

**Shadow**


	8. Chapter 7

A/N That was a cruel, cruel thing to do Shadow; you know I suck at battle scenes. T-T

Don't you worry, though, I'll get you back. ;)

**

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Chapter Seven

The moor grass was springy beneath Larkpaw's pads as she walked across the border into WindClan's territory. Wind whipped into her face, bringing with it the sounds of battle, sounds she had never heard before. She felt guilty for leaving camp when she wasn't allowed to, but the excitement of a battle swallowed the feeling and made it disappear from her mind…for the moment, at least.

Stormpaw was smelling the air, trying to find Leopardstar's patrol's scent trail, when a sudden thought came to Larkpaw. "We'll have to take the same path as the patrol," she pointed out. "Otherwise WindClan would get suspicious if they scented two RiverClan cats on their territory that didn't come with the battle patrol."

"We can't follow it too long, though," Stormpaw objected. "Then they'll see us coming from the camp."

"We'll follow the trail until we get in sight of the camp, then," Larkpaw decided after a thoughtful pause. "Is that okay with you?"

Stormpaw nodded. "Let's go, before the battle's over!" she exclaimed eagerly, racing ahead along the same path the RiverClan patrol had gone.

"Hey, wait for me!" Larkpaw called after her sister, running to catch up. "We'll have to be stealthy and not jump right in as soon as we get there."

"What, you mean stake it out?" Stormpaw asked, both of them moving at a trot. "Do you think a warrior assesses the situation before going into a battle?"

"We shouldn't be seen at first, or else we'll get in trouble," Larkpaw reminded her. "We might get sent back to camp. First we need to prove that we'll be useful."

"Of course we'll be useful!" Stormpaw exclaimed indignantly. "We don't need to check on things, we'll just go straight in to the battle."

"If we do that, we'll charge right in without knowing anything," Larkpaw argued.

Stormpaw was silent for a while, then mewed, "Let's split up then." Larkpaw gaped at her sister in astonishment, stopping in her tracks. Stormpaw stopped too and turned around to look back at Larkpaw.

"Are you crazy?" she finally managed to ask. "We shouldn't split up! There's strength in numbers, you know. What if one of us needs help?"

"We're both capable apprentices," Stormpaw asserted. "We can handle things without each other."

"Even warriors need help; it's nothing to be ashamed about!" Larkpaw fumed. "Don't you know how dangerous this could be if we aren't prepared?"

Stormpaw sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's why I'm saying we should split up. If we keep arguing, we aren't going to get anywhere. Come on, we have to hurry, Graymist will get suspicious!" Stormpaw started off at a quick run, and Larkpaw followed with a fast lope.

She kept debating inside herself what she should do, what would be best in this situation, and even whether she should have come at all. _Of course I should've come_, she finally decided, glancing at Stormpaw. _I couldn't let her go alone. As much as she denies it, she still needs my help; I'd never forgive myself if I didn't come and something happened to her. _Decided and determined, Larkpaw spoke up again. "Okay, Stormpaw, we'll split up."

Stormpaw flicked her ears in surprise, and looked back at her sister momentarily. Then she grinned. "Okay," she replied simply.

"Just be careful," Larkpaw told her, then looked up as they started climbing a steep slope. "I'll leave you here and go around to the right. We'll meet back up by that heather bush when we're done so that if something goes wrong, we can sneak back into camp together." Larkpaw flicked her tail at the bush in question. Stormpaw nodded and charged off to the left, anticipation clear in her eyes. Sighing inwardly, Larkpaw veered to the right and crouched on the top of a deep depression.

Below her, the WindClan camp stretched out, now trampled and strewn with blood and fur. She could see where the elders' den, apprentices' den, and warriors' den had once stood, but were now flattened as cats battled near them. The nursery was still intact, queens, kits, and elders huddling inside of it as warriors protected it, their fur bristling defiantly.

Larkpaw could see Leopardstar battling with that fiery orange-furred cat she had seen the other night at the Gathering–Firestar. The tom was snarling as RiverClan's leader lunged at him, and even though he dodged nimbly aside, she still caught his shoulder with her claws. Howling in rage, Firestar charged at Leopardstar and raked his claws down her flank. Hissing, the she-cat retaliated fiercely.

Nettlepaw was holding his own against a ThunderClan apprentice, and Larkpaw was dismayed to recognize the apprentice as Icepaw, who she had just befriended last night. _How could she go from being my friend to my enemy in less than a day?_ Larkpaw wondered sadly. Now she understood why cats didn't talk much at Gatherings anymore.

In the distance, Larkpaw heard a yowling. She pricked her ears, trying to catch the sound again, just as a chorus of battle cries joined with the first. Her stomach filled with dread when she realized who was calling out: ShadowClan. _Did they come to help us or ThunderClan? _Larkpaw pondered this for a moment, then realized with a jolt that she was getting side-tracked. If she didn't join the fight soon, it would be too late.

Bracing herself, Larkpaw was about to jump out into the fray of battle when a ShadowClan patrol burst through the entrance to the WindClan camp. She paused, then decided it would be best to see whose side they were on before fighting. To her disappointment, the new patrol of fresh warriors started attacking WindClan and her fellow Clanmates.

Brushing off the thought that Dawnpaw and Tigerpaw might be here too, she let the exhilaration of battle wash over and consume her. Hardly realizing what she was doing, she leaped out of the bushes and charged at the nearest ThunderClan apprentice, taking him by surprise. The two apprentices rolled over, then broke apart, their fur bristling as they readied for the next attack.

"I never thought the day would come when RiverClan would bring kits to a battle," the reddish-brown tom spat. He was much bigger than Larkpaw, but he seemed a bit clumsier than her in her perspective.

"I'm an apprentice!" Larkpaw snarled before throwing herself at the apprentice. He easily sidestepped and swatted out an unsheathed paw as she came by, but she rolled out of the way, leaping up and turning around in one movement. It was the same move she had been practicing with Beechfur for a few days now, and she was proud that she had been able to use it so effectively in battle.

However, her joy did not last long as her opponent charged at her, teeth bared in a snarl. Larkpaw ducked at the last minute and came around his side to rake her claws down his flank, but her ear was cut near the tip as she dodged. The apprentice yowled in fury and turned on her, only to be stopped as another cat landed on him–a very familiar-looking cat.

"Leave her alone, Foxpaw," Nettlepaw growled from his position on top of the ThunderClan apprentice. He ran his claws down Foxpaw's pelt and released him as he yowled in pain, Nettlepaw giving him a warning nip on his tail as he fled the battle.

"What are you doing here?" Nettlepaw demanded furiously, turning on Larkpaw. "You could've gotten hurt, or worse!"

"I was doing just fine!" Larkpaw retorted. "Besides, no one said I couldn't come."

"Larkpaw, go back to camp now," Nettlepaw all but growled at her, looking at her through narrowed eyes. "If Stormpaw is here, take her with you."

"I never thought you'd treat me like a defenseless kit like all the other warriors!" Larkpaw fumed. "I thought you understood me, but I guess I was wrong!" Turning tail, Larkpaw flew through the battling cats and ran out of the camp unnoticed, feeling Nettlepaw's gaze of disbelief on her the whole way. She didn't stop until she reached the heather bush where she and Stormpaw had agreed to meet, her eyes misty and her paws leaden.

She collapsed in a heap and crawled into the bush to keep out of view of enemy warriors. Her chest heaved with guilt as she thought of how she had spoken to Nettlepaw back in the WindClan camp. She knew he had only been thinking of her safety, but for StarClan's sake, he didn't have to treat her like a lost kit mewling for its mother!

Larkpaw tried to calm down and slowed her breathing back to normal. When she was feeling a little better, she concentrated on the grassy plains and sloping hills before her, searching for any sign of Stormpaw. And waited.

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A/N Tada! Sorry it took me a few days, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself at a theme park on Saturday, and I didn't want to do anything on Sunday that required any amount of thinking. ^.^

In case any of you are wondering about the Author Notes with me and Shadow complaining to each other, we don't read each other's chapters until they're posted. So let's just say Shadow wasn't too thrilled when I randomly sprung a battle with ThunderClan on her. XD


	9. Chapter 8

**Battle scene time! I really, really dislike battles, so I apologize in advance for the possibly boringness of this chapter. :P**

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Stormpaw charged away from her sister, her heart nearly bursting from her chest in excitement. _My first battle! _she nearly cried aloud. _This is going to be so exciting!_She was surprised that she had gotten Larkpaw to give in so quickly and split up. _She wants to battle just as much as I do, _she mused.

She leapt into thick gorse as a battle patrol came thundering in. With wide eyes, she saw that this patrol was lead by an enormous white tom with black feet. _Blackstar! _Just behind him came Dawnpaw and Tigerpaw, their eyes narrowed with concentration.

Stormpaw trembled as the scent of ShadowClan faded from her nostrils, then took a deep breath. "I can do this," she whispered to herself, and shouldered her way out of the gorse, shaking the clinging tendrils out of her dark pelt. She padded down the strong scent-trail that ShadowClan had left, and, hearing the battle cries of her Clanmates, rushed to look over the edge.

The WindClan camp was nearly flattened, and thick clumps of fur littered the ground, knocked into the air by the warring cats. She saw Robinpaw grappling with a black-and-white apprentice whose pelt stank of ThunderClan. The ginger she-cat seemed to be holding her own, so Stormpaw barreled down the edge of the camp and pounced on a speckled tabby.

"Leave WindClan alone!" she hissed furiously in his ear. "Go back to your territory where you belong."

The tabby looked surprised to be facing such a small foe, and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't know RiverClan was recruiting mice as warriors now. We'll win the battle easily."

Snarling in fury, Stormpaw sank her claws into his thick pelt and tore out clumps of fur. The tabby hissed angrily and leaned down to sink his teeth into Stormpaw's scruff, lifting her in the air and shaking her like a dead rat. Stormpaw's teeth rattled as the enemy tom flung her away; she hit the ground with a dull thump, driving the breath from her body.

She wheezed on the ground, but by the time she collected herself, the tabby was gone. _I'll get you next time, _she vowed internally. She glanced around the battle and latched her claws onto a cream she-cat. The ThunderClan apprentice's pelt was already stained scarlet with blood.

"StarClan!" the apprentice hissed. "Not another kit sneaking onto the battlefield!" She battered at Stormpaw with sheathed forepaws. "Just get out already! WindClan need to be taught a lesson!"

"Never!" Stormpaw snarled, forgetting that she was just chatting to this she-cat the night before, being friendly and open. _In battle, _she thought, _no cat is your friend except your Clanmates. _She launched herself at the apprentice with claws extended, but the she-cat aimed one last blow at Stormpaw's flank and disappeared into the heaving mass of cats.

"Why will no cat fight me!?" she hissed out loud. "Are they afraid of my claws?"

A laugh sounded behind her, and she whirled to face Tigerpaw. "No cat wants to fight a kit," he said, friendly enough, but his extended claws gave him away. "Go back home and wait until you can hold your own."

She bared her teeth at him. "I'll fight you," she threatened, her pelt bristling and quivering. "I'm not afraid!"

Tigerpaw's green eyes gleamed with respect, but he didn't approach. He sheathed his claws and turned away. "Wait until you're older," he repeated. "Then we'll have a fair battle." He disappeared into the shadows at the edge of the camp, and Stormpaw watched him go with narrowed eyes.

"I won't forget that," she said softly to herself. "I _will _defeat you, ShadowClan apprentice. Then you'll be sorry you didn't fight me today." She turned to enter the battle once again, but a furious yowl made her flinch in alarm. "Mouse dung!" she spat. _That's Mistyfoot! _

She ran towards the sound of her deputy, but something kept her back, hidden in the shade of a gorse bush. She leaned closer and peered through the gaps in the thorns until she could see Mistyfoot circling with a black-and-brown tom.

"You've got a lot of nerve to be fighting me," she growled to the tom. "Didn't you learn you lesson last time you fought a RiverClan cat?"  
Excited, Stormpaw leaned closer with wide eyes. She had never seen Mistyfoot lose control of herself like this and she was intrigued. Every hair on her pelt was on end.

The tom narrowed amber eyes. "I will fight any cat that defies ThunderClan!" he spat. "No cat will hurt my Clanmates on my watch."

Mistyfoot lunged towards him, sinking her claws into the enemy's throat. The tom's eyes were wide with shock at her sudden attack, and he flailed his forepaws wildly. "Stop struggling, Spiderleg," she hissed.

Stormpaw let out a silent gasp. _Is she going to kill that warrior? _she thought incredulously. _The warrior code says not to kill if you don't have to!_

Mistyfoot leaned in towards the tom, close enough to whisper in his ear: "Is that what you thought when you killed Streamclaw?"

At once, a bolt of ice flooded through Stormpaw's veins. She felt paralyzed, as if she couldn't move or speak; her body was frozen. _He…killed Streamclaw? _Her brain felt as if it had shorted out. _He killed my father? _Without feeling herself move, Stormpaw found herself charging across the clearing and digging her claws into Spiderleg's flesh.

"S-stormpaw!" Mistyfoot sounded shocked. "What are you doing here?"

Stormpaw couldn't hear her; the red haze of battle had fallen across her vision, making her unable to see or think. "You killed my father?" she growled to the pinned ThunderClan warrior. "How could you do that?" she screeched. "You killed him!"

"I—" he started, but Mistyfoot cut him off.

The deputy looked worried. "Get back to camp, Stormpaw," she whispered. "We'll figure this out later."

"No!" Stormpaw sank her claws deeper into Spiderleg's fur; the black tom looked to stunned to pull away. "We won't figure this out later. We'll figure it out _right here._"

"Get her away, Mistyfoot." Spiderleg glared up at her. "I can't fight this little apprentice."

"You killed my father!" Stormpaw yowled. "You killed Streamclaw! You took him from me and my sister!"

Spiderleg's amber eyes clouded for a heartbeat. "It was an accident," he said softly.

"That doesn't change what you did!" Stormpaw's claws dug a little deeper into his throat; Spiderleg squirmed under her grip, and batted at her with a sheathed forepaw, sending the small cat flying. Stormpaw gasped in pain as she hit the hard ground.

"I won't fight a kit," he growled, shaking out his pelt. He locked eyes with Mistyfoot. "This matter is over. What's past is past."

Mistyfoot narrowed her eyes. "It will _never _be forgiven," she hissed.

Stormpaw stood shakily to her paws and took a step towards the ThunderClan warrior with a lashing forepaw.

Mistyfoot immediately flicked her tail in front of Stormpaw's chest, blocking her way to Spiderleg. Stormpaw glared up at her with disbelief. "He…he killed Streamclaw." Stormpaw was confused: why was Mistyfoot not beating this cat senseless?

"Noble warriors do not kill unless it's necessary," Mistyfoot mewed, her eyes locked on Spiderleg. "I hope you remember that, Stormpaw."

Stormpaw dug her claws into the hard ground, and closed her eyes. "Didn't you care about my father?" she hissed.

Mistyfoot sighed. "Of course I did. But that doesn't make it right to kill."

Spiderleg flicked his gaze between the two RiverClan cats, his eyes wide and inscrutable.

Mistyfoot flattened her ears. "Get out." Her voice was flat and expressionless. "Or you'll pay dearly."

Spiderleg didn't need to hear that twice; he leapt to his paws and dashed into the gorse, back towards the main battle.

Mistyfoot turned to Stormpaw and opened her mouth to speak, but Stormpaw didn't want to listen. Pushing past the deputy, Stormpaw flattened her ears and bared her thorn-sharp teeth in a silent snarl. _Why does every cat underestimate me? How can Mistyfoot let that fox dung ThunderClan cat get away with what he did?! He killed my father and broke our family. _A wave of despair flooded through her. _How am I going to explain this to Larkpaw? _

Stormpaw shook off her dark thoughts and focused on weaving her way through the gorse towards the meeting place, she decided not to tell her sister that she knew who killed her father. _Not yet…not now. _

"Thank StarClan!" Larkpaw padded out of the shadow of the heather bush. "I thought you were wounded!"

"I am." She flicked her tail towards a line of scratches along her flank from the claws of the cream apprentice. "You didn't?"

Larkpaw shook her head. "Nettlepaw stopped the cat I was fighting." Her voice was cold.

Beginning to pad towards camp, Stormpaw felt a flicker of surprise. "I thought you got on well with Nettlepaw?" she asked, confused.

Larkpaw tossed her head scornfully. "He treats me like a kit—like I can't fight for myself."

Stormpaw lashed out at a fallen willow leaf. "I know how that feels," she agreed. "Tigerpaw wouldn't fight me. He said he couldn't fight a kit." Her belly burned with fury.

Larkpaw sighed and nuzzled her sister's shoulder. "Well, that didn't go well at all, did it?"

Stormpaw laughed hollowly and without humor. _You don't know the half of it, _she growled silently.

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**Ta-daaaa! That's the end of it. Now, I must go take a few Tylenol, as Fwirl and I ate at least 5 Scotcharoos each and I have a sugar crash. **

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**Shadow**


	10. Chapter 9

A/N Hello again, Fwirl here! Not much to say, so please enjoy the chapter. Oh, and I apologize for my last chapter, I hadn't realized it was so extremely short. -_-'

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Chapter Nine

Larkpaw lead the way back to the RiverClan camp through WindClan's territory, Stormpaw, who usually took the lead, trailing sullenly behind her. She had been silent and gloomy the entire way so far, so Larkpaw assumed that her sister had had an even worse time fighting than she had. Then again, she didn't feel like talking much either; this battle hadn't been as exciting as she had at first thought it would be.

They moved at a quick pace, not fast enough to be considered running, but fast enough that they would reach camp long before RiverClan's battle patrol did. Larkpaw wanted to say something to comfort her sister, but nothing came to mind, and she didn't even know what was wrong, so she kept quiet.

When they finally crossed the border separating RiverClan's territory from WindClan's, the two sisters could no longer hear the sounds of battle ringing in their ears like the perpetual peal of a sparrow's call. "Let's sneak in through the gap behind the apprentices' den," Larkpaw suggested as they neared camp, finally speaking up. "That way we can make it seem like we were in camp all along if we slip into the den and pretend to sleep."

Stormpaw nodded, but she didn't really seem to be listening at all. Sighing, Larkpaw stealthily crawled through an opening behind the apprentices' den that only a few cats knew about, making sure that her sister followed behind her. Once they were behind the den, the two young apprentices pushed aside some branches and crept in, pushing the misplaced foliage back into place so it looked as if it hadn't been moved at all.

They looked around, but no one else was in the den. The two cats headed over to their nests and settled down, but Larkpaw noticed that Stormpaw was picking at her moss in frustration. "Something wrong?" Larkpaw finally prompted, speaking softly.

Stormpaw jerked her head towards Larkpaw, as if just realizing she was there, and opened her mouth as if to speak, then abruptly shut it. "No, the battle was just tough," she muttered in reply, though Larkpaw knew it was something more than that.

"Tell me when you're ready to," Larkpaw mewed, then curled her tail over her muzzle as she tried to drift into a light sleep. She could feel Stormpaw's pelt bristling next to her, then flatten. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was Stormpaw's even breathing that announced that she had fallen asleep, despite her worries.

What woke Larkpaw up wasn't the cry of Leopardstar calling a Clan meeting, or even the incessant prodding in her side. It was the feeling that something was very wrong.

Squinting her eyes, Larkpaw looked up to see Nettlepaw about to prod her again to force her into consciousness. In an instant, Larkpaw was on her paws, her tail flicking behind her in irritation. Without looking at Nettlepaw, she turned to see Stormpaw waking up. "Wha's goin' on?" she mumbled, hardly coherent.

"Leopardstar called a Clan meeting," Nettlepaw answered before Larkpaw could even reply.

"Oh, the battle!" Stormpaw exclaimed, suddenly awake again with a strange spark in her eyes. "What happened?"

"Leopardstar will probably tell us," Larkpaw interjected; she didn't want to hear from Nettlepaw how the battle had turned out. She pushed her way out of the den and into the center of camp, feeling her sister's confused gaze follow her out.

Most of RiverClan had already assembled, and out of the corner of her eye, Larkpaw could see Graymist practically glaring at her from across the clearing. Keeping her gaze forward, Larkpaw acted as if she hadn't noticed and took a seat next to Beetlepaw and Otterheart. Stormpaw and Copperpaw came to join her, both of them oddly subdued.

"RiverClan cats, we went to help WindClan after ThunderClan attacked their camp," Leopardstar started when everyone had gathered. Larkpaw noticed Mistyfoot near RiverClan's leader, but she was looking intently at Stormpaw, who was pointedly averting her eyes. "ShadowClan joined the fight on ThunderClan's side shortly after we arrived. We…were forced to retreat."

Yowls of dismay rang through the camp until Leopardstar couldn't be heard. "Enough!" she called so loudly that a few birds in nearby trees flew off their perches, startled. "We have only lost this battle, but next time, it will be different. We should be thankful that no cats died." An odd light entered Leopardstar's eyes, then disappeared as she blinked.

Confused, Larkpaw looked to her sister, thinking that she would seem the same puzzled expression on her face, but Stormpaw was kneading the ground, her lips bared in a silent snarl. "That is all," Leopardstar finished. She padded off to her den, leaving behind an uneasy Clan of cats.

Mistyfoot padded over to Stormpaw and Larkpaw as the cats dispersed, then stopped and gave Stormpaw a meaningful look before glancing at Larkpaw. Stormpaw shook her head quickly as if she had just been asked a question. Baffled, Larkpaw kept switching her gaze between the two cats until Mistyfoot started talking to them.

"Stormpaw, Larkpaw, you know you weren't supposed to be at that battle," Mistyfoot reprimanded. Larkpaw felt a sinking feeling in her stomach; had they been spotted by RiverClan's deputy during the battle?

"Larkpaw wasn't there," Stormpaw hastily interjected. "I snuck out of camp by myself."

"That's not true, I was with Stormpaw at the battle," Larkpaw declared, angry. She didn't need her sister to protect her from the consequences of her actions; she was acting just like Nettlepaw! Plus, she was being so weird and secretive, like she knew something but didn't want to tell Larkpaw. Suddenly, she found herself very angry and frustrated without really knowing why.

Mistyfoot glanced at the two of them, then went on. "I'll have to report this to Leopardstar," she informed them. _Of course,_ Larkpaw thought contemptuously. _Because you just have to be perfect for your Clan; it would be against your morals not to tell on us. _"She'll decide on your punishment. For now, I want you both to stay in camp until you're told otherwise. Am I understood?"

"Whatever," Larkpaw muttered.

"Yeah, yeah," Stormpaw all but snarled at the deputy. Larkpaw considered how odd of a reaction that was, but decided she didn't care about it right now. She was so frustrated that she didn't even talk to anyone, including her sister, as she padded back into the apprentices' den.

Stormpaw didn't even try to talk to her sister as she settled back down in her nest. Larkpaw was about to lie down in her nest when someone's head poked inside the den. "Larkpaw, can I talk to you?" It was Nettlepaw.

"Go away," Larkpaw hissed, acutely aware that Stormpaw was right next to her.

"It'll only take a minute," Nettlepaw promised.

Hesitant, Larkpaw slowly came out of the apprentices' den and followed Nettlepaw as he led her to the space behind the apprentices' den where she and Stormpaw had sneaked in earlier. He stopped and turned around to face her.

"Go on," Larkpaw prompted, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws.

"I wasn't treating you like a kit earlier," Nettlepaw burst out. "I just didn't want you to get hurt; you haven't had much battle experience and you still need a lot of work on your fighting moves."

"Are you saying I can't fight?" Larkpaw snarled indignantly, her fur bristling.

"No, don't be mouse-brained!" Nettlepaw replied.

"So now I'm a mouse-brain?" Larkpaw fumed, now standing up. "Why did you want to talk to me if all you're going to do is insult me?"

"It isn't my fault you're taking what I'm saying the wrong way!" Nettlepaw defended, his tail flicking in frustration behind him. "It's like you don't even want to try and understand what I was trying to do back there!"

"Yeah, well maybe I don't!" Larkpaw retorted, then turned her back on the apprentice. "Just leave me alone!" With a bound, Larkpaw was back in front of the apprentices' den, and about to duck in when Leopardstar came out of her den, Mistyfoot trailing behind her.

With only a glance Larkpaw could tell that her leader was upset. Her fur looked ruffled and her ears were pricked attentively. Catching Larkpaw's gaze, she nodded for her to come over to her. Reluctantly, Larkpaw padded over to Leopardstar while Mistyfoot walked past her to the apprentices' den, presumably to get Stormpaw.

Larkpaw didn't look at Mistyfoot as they passed; only stared ahead. She knew she was in for a scolding by the way Leopardstar was pacing agitatedly in front of her den. Awkwardly, she stopped in front of her leader, but the RiverClan leader didn't seem to notice her. It wasn't until Stormpaw and Mistyfoot joined them that she stopped and turned to face them.

"You two snuck out of camp," Leopardstar accused. "Do you know what could have happened if you had been injured, or even killed? You need to think before you decide to do something as stupid and idiotic as that."

"We were only trying to help our Clan," Stormpaw offered meekly, her head down but her eyes watching Leopardstar attentively.

"If your help was needed, I would've asked it of you," Leopstar mewed coldly. Stormpaw didn't say anything this time, for which Larkpaw was secretly grateful for. Even though she respected her sister for pointing out their reason for joining the battle when they weren't supposed to, she didn't want to get into any more trouble than they were already in.

"What will their punishment be?" Mistyfoot prompted Leopardstar.

She looked at Mistyfoot as if just noticing her presence, then turned back to the two miserable sisters. "You'll be looking after the elders until the next Gathering," Leopardstar told them after a pause of consideration. "You'll fetch them fresh-kill, clean out their nests, and do anything they ask you to."

"Yes, Leopardstar," Larkpaw and Stormpaw chorused obediently.

Leopardstar nodded. "Good," she said, already starting to walk away. "Next time, follow my instructions more carefully."

As Mistyfoot passed by them, she gave them a sympathetic glance, but Larkpaw turned away scornfully. Why should she be sympathetic? She was the one that told on them, after all, and even suggested that Leopardstar should punish them!

Nauseated with all of her anger and confusion, Larkpaw looked at Stormpaw, hoping that maybe her sister could so something to ease her mind. But no, her sister was staring off into the distance as if she wasn't even there. As if she didn't exist.

Letting out a hiss of frustration, Larkpaw went to the entrance of the camp, then remembered what Mistyfoot had said earlier about staying in camp until further notice. _Who cares?_ she thought. Larkpaw changed direction and slipped out through the dirt place tunnel before running through the stream and into the forest.

It felt good to have the wind whip through her fur and dodge the undergrowth that tried to trip her up as she passed, and for a moment, she forgot all of her irritation. She stopped when she reached the lake, breathing heavily from the run. It was almost dark, the first stars of Silverpelt starting to shimmer into life in the sky. She felt calmer somehow looking at them, and she just stood there for an immeasurable amount of time.

Shaking her head at herself for disobeying Mistyfoot, Larkpaw ran back to camp in a daze, hardly aware of slipping back into camp and into the apprentices' den. When she was once more in her nest, everything flooded back into her. With a groan, Larkpaw closed her eyes and tried to sleep as easily as she had when she was still a kit.

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A/N Okay, I know it was a kind of lame chapter, and Larkpaw seems very OC, but Shadow and I agreed that Larkpaw shouldn't find out yet, thus giving me hardly anything to write about. Okay Shadow, you're next!

~ Fwirl


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey, guys. I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this in a while. Fwirl kept bugging me until I finally relented and wrote this. It's not very long, but I'm happy with where this chapter went. **

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Stormpaw leaned back into her nest, her chest heaving as if she had run the length of RiverClan territory. Her mind reeled from the nightmare she had just had, the vision so strong that she half-expected to be in the same danger she had experienced in her dream.

"_So, Stormpaw, is it?" a massive, shadowy figure asked, his claws curling into the ground like blackthorns. His eyes gleamed with a terrible glee._

"_Yeah," she snarled to it, her pelt bristling to twice its normal size, "it is."_

_The cat laughed, a sound full of cynicism and darkness. "Too bad your mother didn't name you a more suitable name. Tinykit or Weakkit would be far better."_

_Stormpaw bared her teeth despite her fear. "It's Stormpaw!" she yowled, her voice shaking as she confronted the huge silhouette. _

_The cat leaned down to look her in the eyes; she shivered at the emptiness of his amber gaze. "You truly are the kit of that weakling, Streamclaw. The feel of my claws in his throat..." His teeth gleamed as he bent towards her, a spark of jagged lightning illuminating his face and his black-and-brown pelt…_

"_Spiderleg," she gasped. "I'll…I'll…"_

"_You'll do nothing," he spat. He bared his sharp fangs and leapt for her throat. Stormpaw fell back with a wordless cry of terror, flinching away from him, losing her balance…_

She took in a deep breath as the memory washed over her. Looking over to her sister's nest, she saw that Larkpaw was still curled in her nest, her white tail covering her nose. She breathed in and out evenly, though her eyes twitched under the lids as if she was dreaming.

Watching her sleep, Stormpaw felt a wave of guilt wash over her for treating her sister the way she did the day before. _She didn't do anything, _she chastised herself. _She just…doesn't need to know. Why burden her with the knowledge that our father's murderer got away with it and lives happily in ThunderClan? _

Shaking off her thoughts, Stormpaw gently eased herself out of her nest, careful not to disturb Larkpaw, and padded out into the moonlit clearing. Her shadow was cast long by the moon, mingling with the darkness at the edge of the camp. Seeing Grasspaw on guard, Stormpaw padded up to her. "Hey," she called softly.

The she-cat's white pelt glowed like a star in the dim light. "Stormpaw!" she mewed in surprise. "What are you doing up this late?"

"Bad dream," Stormpaw explained, shaking her head to show she didn't want to talk about it.

Grasspaw's green eyes were sympathetic. "I heard that you tried to join the battle yesterday," she said softly. "That was really brave."

Stormpaw looked at her incredulously. "You think so?"

Grasspaw nodded. "I wouldn't have done it," she admitted, her pale eyes serious. "I'm too nervous to even _think _about battles."

"Have you been in one yet?" Stormpaw settled herself onto her belly and tucked her white paws beneath her chest.

"Once. It was a border fight with ShadowClan." Her eyes darkened. "Prey-stealers, all of them," she spat. "I swear, all of them are as fox-hearted as Twolegs."

_Twolegs! _"Have you ever seen a Twoleg?" she asked eagerly.

Grasspaw nodded. "I've seen them on boats during green-leaf. Boats are little things they float on the water," she added, seeing Stormpaw's confused face.

Stormpaw rolled her eyes. "Twolegs are crazy," she grumbled, looking at the dawning horizon.

Grasspaw mewed her agreement, standing up immediately when she saw her mentor, Voletooth, come padding over. "Voletooth," she greeted politely.

The small brown tabby warrior nodded to her, humor gleaming in his eyes. "You can go get some rest now, Grasspaw. I'll take over." His gaze swept across Stormpaw. "I heard about your little excursion yesterday."

Anger blazed through her. "I was doing it for the Clan," she started, then cut off when she heard Voletooth purring.

"Calm down, calm down," he chuckled. "You two go back and get some sleep. It'll be dawn soon."

"Yes, Voletooth," Grasspaw mewed, turning back to the apprentices' den. "Come on, Stormpaw."

Stormpaw fell in sullenly behind her friend, casting her eyes about the Clan. Robinwing, Mintfur, and Nettlepaw came padding in the clearing, looking exhausted from a nighttime patrol. Leopardstar came padding out of her den to meet them.

"We didn't see anything," Mintfur told her softly as Robinwing settled onto her belly, exhausted, and Nettlepaw's tail drooped. "We ran the whole length of the border but picked up no trace of ShadowClan."

_ShadowClan! _Stormpaw thought, astonished. _Why would they be running patrols there? _"I'll catch up later," she mewed hastily to Grasspaw.

The white she-cat looked quickly from Stormpaw to the patrol. "You'll get caught," she warned.

"No, I won't. I'll pretend to get some fresh-kill." Stormpaw whirled and charged to the smooth-worn stone hollow where prey was stored and lingered there pretending to sniff the fresh-kill, all the while keeping her ears tilted in Leopardstar's direction.

"You're sure?" Leopardstar's voice was intense. Stormpaw wished that she could look up and see her expression, but knew she would give herself away.

"Positive," Mintfur answered. "We did see a few new Twoleg tracks near the edge of the water, though."

"Odd," Leopardstar murmured. "It's not even near green-leaf yet…"

"Who knows?" the light gray tom mewed. "Why do Twolegs do anything?"

"Yes…" Leopardstar's voice was speculative. "Just in case, I want to start running patrols over there at least three times a day. See to it, won't you?"

"Of course," Mintfur agreed readily.

The RiverClan leader mewed her thanks, then padded up to Stormpaw. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you standing here?" Her voice, though weary, was amused. "I'm not exactly blind."

Stormpaw shuffled her paws in embarrassment, her eyes on her paws.

Leopardstar purred. "You know, cats who eavesdrop hear things that they shouldn't." Her words were passive but her eyes were sharp.

Stormpaw knew she wasn't talking about overhearing the patrol anymore. She flattened her ears.

"Come on, Stormpaw," Leopardstar coaxed. "You can tell me about it. I'm your leader, after all."

Stormpaw hesitated, then burst out, "Spiderleg killed my father."

To her surprise, Leopardstar was nodding. "I know," she admitted.

"And you haven't done anything about it?" Stormpaw was having a hard time keeping her voice down.

"What could I do?" Leopardstar murmured. "Streamclaw died in an accident. It was unfortunate, but not Spiderleg's fault."

"My father died by his claws." Stormpaw sank her own claws into the sandy soil of the camp. "That makes it his fault," she spat.

Leopardstar looked at her with pity. "Stormpaw, RiverClan would have done anything in our power to help your father," she explained. "But the warrior code says that--"

"I know, I know." Stormpaw felt a little panicked by her lack of respect for her leader, but the spotted she-cat wasn't seeing things reasonably. "The code says not to kill unless it is necessary, but don't you think this counts?" Stormpaw asked desperately.

"I knew your father well," Leopardstar said wistfully. "He would have made a wonderful leader." She fixed Stormpaw in her amber gaze. "Your father wouldn't have wanted us to seek revenge, I know that. He would have wanted us to be peaceable with ThunderClan."

Stormpaw stared at her leader in disbelief. How could she be so certain about it? Surely her father was brave enough to take action against ThunderClan! He wouldn't just sit back and wait for Spiderleg to feel sorry about his actions-- he'd _make _him feel sorry.

Seeing the play of emotion across Stormpaw's face, Leopardstar mewed, "Revenge isn't the answer," her eyes gentle.

Stormpaw nodded stiffly, then turned away. Dawn was pouring into the camp now, and Larkpaw padded out of the apprentices' den, stretching each leg in turn.

Her gaze was cool as Stormpaw approached. "Morning," she mewed tautly.

Stormpaw touched her nose to her sister's, seeing the shock in Larkpaw's pale blue eyes. "Sorry," she murmured. "For yesterday."

Larkpaw purred and whapped her sister with a forepaw. "Me, too," she mewed. "I was really tired from the battle and from Nettlepaw…"

Stormpaw watched her sister's face crumple. "Did you make up with him?" she asked gently. "He was only looking out for you, after all."

"I know," she sighed. "I'll think about it."

Stormpaw purred and butted her shoulder. "I'm sure you will. It'll all turn out alright!"

Larkpaw purred. "You're optimistic today. I wonder what's gotten into you?" Her words were joking but her eyes were serious.

Stormpaw immediately dropped her gaze so her eyes wouldn't give her away. "It's a nice day," she lied hastily. "What cat wouldn't be happy? Good hunting today for sure."

"Yes," Larkpaw agreed, still looking suspicious. Then she shrugged and flicked Stormpaw with her tail. "Let's go see if we can get on a hunting patrol," she suggested.

Stormpaw found herself cheerfully agreeing to everything her sister was saying, but on the inside she was wailing, _No, no, no! This is wrong! Streamclaw needs to be avenged! _

**Ah, and so the first seeds of revenge are planted! I love themes of revenge, btw. It seems to be the main theme in almost anything I write for some reason. Maybe because I write such depressing crap all the time. XD **

**Now I'm off to watch Titanic. It's totally my third favorite movie of all time. -luffles-**

**R&R!**

**Shadow**

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	12. Chapter 11

A/N Yay, it's my turn again! Sorry it took so long, to Shadow and everyone reading this. :P

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Chapter Eleven

Late afternoon sunlight flooded through the RiverClan camp, dying everything a deep reddish orange. A light breeze ruffled the reeds and undergrowth surrounding the small island, and the gentle lapping of the stream could be heard by all in the peaceful silence.

Larkpaw sat in front of the apprentices' den eating a squirrel as she watched the camp. Beetlepaw and Grasspaw were practicing some battle moves over near the empty nursery, and Mintfur and Graymist were sharing tongues not too far away. A hunting patrol consisting of Reedwhisker, Stormpaw, and Dapplenose was just returning, all of them with fresh-kill in their jaws. Blackclaw poked his head out of the elders' den, scented the air, then disappeared back inside.

Stormpaw dropped a vole and a thrush on the fresh-kill pile before bounding over to her sister. "Hey, Larkpaw!" she greeted enthusiastically.

"Oh, hi Stormpaw," Larkpaw replied, finishing off her squirrel in one last bite. "How was the hunting?"

"It was okay, I guess," Stormpaw answered. "It'll be better when it's newleaf, though. Then there'll be a lot of prey running around in the forest."

"Just in time for us to catch it," Larkpaw purred.

"Did you already take fresh-kill to the elders today?" Stormpaw asked.

"Oh, I forgot! Thanks Stormpaw," Larkpaw mewed, bounding over to the fresh-kill pile. She quickly grabbed two fish and a mouse before heading over to the elders' den. Pushing her way through the entrance, she dropped the fresh-kill in front of Blackclaw, Swallowtail, and Mosspelt.

"Sorry I'm late," Larkpaw apologized.

"'Bout time," Blackclaw muttered, starting to eat the mouse.

"Where's Dawnflower?" Larkpaw inquired, peering to the back of the den in case she had missed the pale gray she-cat."

"She went out for a walk to stretch her legs," Swallowtail answered. She took the larger of the two fish and carried it back to where she had been sitting with Mosspelt, and the two shared the fresh-kill.

A sudden thought came to Larkpaw as she watched the elders eat. "Do you miss being warriors?" she asked.

Mosspelt snorted. "I sure don't; I never liked fighting and I wasn't very good at it either."

"Mosspelt, don't say that!" Swallowtail scolded. "Everything we did was for the good of RiverClan. If we hadn't fought, other cats might have gotten injured or killed. Aren't you proud of what you accomplished?" Mosspelt muttered a response that Larkpaw couldn't hear, and she thought the two elders seemed like mentor and apprentice in a way.

Larkpaw tried to hide her purr of amusement at their argument as she spoke again. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"I think I might have a tick on my back, and I can't quite reach it," Blackclaw announced. "Could you get it for me, Larkpaw?"

"Sure," Larkpaw replied, moving over behind the elder. Her paws carefully shifted through his fur as she listened to the elders gossiping.

"You know, I think that Duskfur is going to move into the nursery soon," Swallowtail said knowingly.

"Then what about Copperpaw?" Mosspelt asked. "Who will mentor him?"

"Can't you just be glad for her?" Swallowtail muttered, and Larkpaw took that to mean that she didn't know who would train Copperpaw.

"Do you know who the father is?" Mosspelt asked.

"I hear tell that it's Rainstorm," Swallowtail answered almost immediately, obviously glad to be talking about something she knew again.

"No!" Mosspelt objected. "Really?"

"From the way he's been looking at Duskfur, it's obvious he has feelings for her other than that of a fellow Clanmate," Swallowtail replied confidently. "She looks the same way at him." Larkpaw was only half listening to their conversation, but she was also thinking of Nettlepaw. They still hadn't made up, and she was really starting to miss his company, but at the same time, there was no way she'd apologize.

Larkpaw almost missed the tick, but quickly bit it between her teeth with a small crunch. She hurriedly checked the rest of Blackclaw's fur, but found no more of the little insects. "I'm done," she announced, interrupting Swallowtail's story of how she had once fought a huge WindClan warrior when she was a new apprentice because of a border dispute.

"Well then, get along," Swallowtail told her. "Now, as I was saying…"

Larkpaw quickly left the elders' den and entered the clearing again, nearly running into Copperpaw. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I should have watched where I was going."

"No, it's fine," Copperpaw replied.

"I heard your mentor is going to move to the nursery," Larkpaw meowed, remembering what Swallowtail had said.

"Yeah, she is," Copperpaw answered with a sigh. "She was a great mentor."

"Who will teach you for now?" Larkpaw asked curiously. She couldn't imagine having to change mentors, even if it was just temporary.

"Mistyfoot said she was thinking about having Icewing teach me, but that she still wasn't entirely sure yet," he replied.

"Oh," Larkpaw responded for lack of anything better to say.

"Copperpaw, are you coming?" Mintfur called from the camp entrance. Voletooth and Nettlepaw were standing there with them, and the apprentice's eyes met Larkpaw's briefly. She turned away, suddenly embarrassed, and padded back towards the apprentices' den where Stormpaw was waiting for her.

Larkpaw noticed that Mistyfoot was talking with Leopardstar near the leader's den, then turned around and surveyed the camp. "Pinefur, Rainstorm, and Larkpaw, we're going on a border patrol," she suddenly announced. Larkpaw stopped walking and stared at the deputy resentfully for a moment, remembering how she had ratted Stormpaw and her out, and debated whether it was worth her time to argue with her. In the end, she padded over to where the patrol was gathering.

"We're going along the ShadowClan border," Mistyfoot was explaining. "Leopardstar wants us to check on those Twoleg tracks we found earlier." Rainstorm and Pinefur nodded, but Larkpaw looked away with a bored expression. Mistyfoot ignored it and led the way out of camp.

Larkpaw trudged mutinously behind Pinefur the whole way, occasionally stopping to scent the air, but otherwise remaining silent. The forest was cool and cast in shadows that flickered with every movement. So far the patrol hadn't seen anything out of the usual and Larkpaw was starting to think that this was just a waste of time. Who cared what Twolges were doing? They were just weird creatures.

Ahead of her, Mistyfoot stopped and scented the air, her pelt bristling. "Do you guys smell –" but she never got to finish her question, because a dog twice the size of the biggest cat Larkpaw had ever seen jumped out of the undergrowth and swiped a large paw at the deputy, sending her flying.

Larkpaw let out a hiss of surprise before leaping forward at the huge dog. Before she even reached it, however, another dog, smaller than the last but still quite large, tackled her. Drool slobbered from the creature's mouth as it tried to bite and claw at Larkpaw. She snarled at it and fought back fiercely, sending them rolling into a patch of horsetail.

The dog nipped at her ear and Larkpaw frantically slashed her claws against its stomach, but it didn't move. Just as the dog was about to snap at the young apprentice's throat, Rainstorm rammed into the dog's stomach, hurling it away from Larkpaw.

"Larkpaw, get back to camp and get help!" the older warrior ordered. Larkpaw noticed blood running down from a cut on the side of his head and stared in terrified silence as another dog charged into the fray.

Mistyfoot had gotten back up and was battling ferociously with the first dog, spitting and hissing ferociously, but it was obvious she was at a disadvantage and losing. Blood matted the fur on her stomach and hind leg, but she still fought bravely. Pinefur was now fighting the dog that had just arrived, and had yet to receive any serious injuries.

"I can't leave you to fight alone!" Larkpaw protested, and she was dismayed to hear her voice shake.

"Go and get help," Rainstorm repeated. "We'll hold off until you get back."

Larkpaw hesitated as she heard angry Twoleg calls off in the distance. "Promise?" she whispered.

"I promise," Rainstorm told her solemnly, then launched himself at the dog as it began to get back up. "Now go!"

Larkpaw turned and bolted back to camp as if a pack of foxes were chasing after her, snapping at her tail the whole way. She burst through the undergrowth and branches in her way, regardless of all the cuts and bruises she got from them. She nearly tripped twice over tree roots, but she plowed ahead, gasping with fear and tiredness.

When she reached camp, she could've collapsed right at the entrance. Instead, she burst through the reeds and called as loudly as she could, "Leopardstar! Leopardstar, the patrol was attacked by dogs!"

Startled cats rushed out of dens at the sound of Larkpaw's call, Leopardstar foremost among them. "Tell me exactly what happened," she demanded.

Taking a deep breath, Larkpaw quickly explained how they had been along the ShadowClan border when the dogs came and attacked, how Rainstorm had told her to run to camp to get help, and how badly outmatched the warriors were.

Leopardstar glanced around the clearing swiftly. "Beechfur, Reedwhisker, Minnowtail, you'll come with me to where the dogs are," she commanded. "Larkpaw, you'll lead us back to them; that's the fastest way."

"I'm coming too!" Stormpaw declared, pushing her way through the crowd.

Leopardstar's eyes flashed. "Stormpaw, you will do as you are told."

"If you don't let me come I'll just follow you there," Stormpaw told her, her eyes blazing with determination.

Leopardstar paused, knowing there wasn't time to argue, then flicked her tail in assent. "We'll speak of this when we get back to camp," she promised the apprentice, then turned to Larkpaw. "Go, hurry!"

Larkpaw nearly tripped over her own paws as she hurried back out of camp and along the way she had come. She could tell the other warriors were impatient to help their Clanmates, but her legs were shorter and she was tired from running back to camp as fast as she could.

It was when the patrol heard dogs snarling and Twolegs yelling far away that the warriors went ahead without Larkpaw, but Stompaw stayed with her sister as she ran doggedly on. Larkpaw was shocked when she saw that the patrol had halted a few paces short of where she had left the patrol.

Larkpaw felt her stomach sink and ice envelope her heart at the scene before her. Pinefur was lying at the base of a tree, her limbs sprawled in angles they shouldn't be in, and it was obvious she had died a painful death. Rainstorm was hardly better off; a deep gash ran through his throat and blood pooled around him. Mistyfoot was breathing in shallow rasps, and Larkpaw was horrified to see claw marks across the deputy's eyes, completely destroying her sight.

Rainstorm had broken his promise.

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A/N Wow…now I feel extremely depressed. Sorry everyone, but it was planned between both me and Shadow for this to happen this time (one of the few times we've ever actually planned anything :P). Have fun on the next chapter Shadow. ^.^

~ Fwirl


	13. Chapter 12

**Okay, so here's the deal. I wrote two very awesome ANs for this chapter--one at the end and the other right where you are now reading this one. Unfortunately, today hates me, and the computer deleted them both. So now, instead if reading a funny AN, you get to read this crappy one that doesn't seem to ever end. **

**Lucky you.**

**If you persevered to the end of this boring AN, give yourself a pat on the back. You deserved it. XD**

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Stormpaw felt as if her paws had been frozen to the ground as she stared blankly at the lifeless bodies of her Clanmates. _No, _she thought as she took a step towards Pinefur's limp form. _This can't be real! _

She extended a paw and gently prodded the tabby she-cat's body. Pinefur barely shifted, and her eyes stared blankly up into the air.

Stormpaw pulled back, feeling nauseous. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the body. _We were just on a patrol last sunrise, _she thought distantly. _We were just talking. _

A warm weight pressed into her side, and Stormpaw looked up into Leopardstar's amber eyes. The leader's voice was gentle as she mewed, "This is the price of protecting the Clan. Pinefur and Rainstorm died bravely."

"But that doesn't make it right," Stormpaw argued feebly.

Leopardstar shook her head. "You're right."

"Leopardstar!" Minnowtail came skidding over, panting hard. "Leopardstar, Mistyfoot is still alive!"

The RiverClan leader immediately leapt over to the body of her deputy, Stormpaw quickly following. Stopping in front of Mistyfoot, Leopardstar bent her head and sniffed rapidly along her flank and face. "Beechfur, go fetch Mothwing!" she ordered.

The pale brown tom took off without another word.

Stormpaw took a shaky step to stand next to her sister. Larkpaw was looking down at Mistyfoot with wide, unblinking eyes, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. Stormpaw pressed her nose to her ear, but Larkpaw didn't respond. She let out a low keen in the back of her throat.

"Mistyfoot, can you hear me?" Leopardstar's voice was ragged. "Mistyfoot?"

The gray she-cat didn't respond.

"M-Mistyfoot?" Larkpaw spoke for the first time. She leaned down and nudged the deputy's head with her muzzle.

Mistyfoot's whiskers twitched, and she slightly lifted her head. Her mouth opened and she let out an eerie wail. "My eyes! I can't see! I can't see!"

Stormpaw felt a chill creep through her pelt, making every hair stand on edge.

Mistyfoot lurched to her paws, her eyes closed shut tightly and soaked with blood. She tried to take a step forward, but her legs gave way underneath her and she collapsed to the ground. She let out a cry of shock and pain.

"Mistyfoot, don't move!" Leopardstar pressed her paws onto her deputy's uninjured shoulder. She lifted her head to stare in the direction Beechfur had gone. "StarClan, quicken his paws!" she whispered, so low that Stormpaw didn't know if she was supposed to hear it.

Reedwhisker was pacing back and forth, too distressed to come over to see Mistyfoot. Stormpaw padded up to him and pressed her nose into his shoulder fur. He sighed, and looked down into her eyes, his own green ones filled with panic. "How is she?" he asked anxiously.

"She can't see." Stormpaw felt a little tug at her heart as she said the words.

Reedwhisker shut his eyes in pain. "How could StarClan let this happen?" he murmured. "A pack of dogs running loose in the forest again?"

Stormpaw was alarmed. "Has this happened before?"

He nodded wearily. "When I was an apprentice in the old forest," he explained. "They never really affected RiverClan, though. Tigerstar used them to try and get revenge on ThunderClan."

Stormpaw gasped as she heard the name of the most hated cat in the Clans' history. Tigerstar had been killed seasons ago, she had heard, but his sons and daughters had lived on in the Clans after. Hawkfrost, a brave RiverClan warrior, had been killed by ThunderClan on their territory. She had heard the stories of him--that his death was an accident--but she had never really felt anything for the warrior, as he had died seasons before her birth.

Reedwhisker had turned back to Mistyfoot--the she-cat was trying to get up again, all the while yowling with agony. "I hope that Mothwing can save her," he whispered through unmoving lips. "She's my mother."

"Really?" Stormpaw asked, trying to get her mentor's mind off of Mistyfoot's condition. She had just opened her mouth to say something else when Mothwing burst into the clearing with Beechfur close behind.

"Mistyfoot!" the golden she-cat cried, racing towards her. She dropped her mouthful of herbs beside her and bent her head close to Mistyfoot's face. "I've sent Willowshine to collect some celandine," she told Leopardstar, "for her eyes."

"Just heal her," Leopardstar murmured.

Mothwing dipped her head and face back to Mistyfoot. "Can you open your eyes?" she asked her. "Even a little?"

Mistyfoot groaned low in her throat and winced. "No," she rasped. "They won't open and they hurt like a fox bite."

Mothwing began to chew up some golden-yellow petals. Stormpaw crept forward, pulling the still-stunned Larkpaw with her. "Can we help?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, yes. Take some of that leaf there and crunch it up. Larkpaw, you start kneading these berries, please." Mothwing gave the orders quickly and began to clean the blood out of Mistyfoot's eyes.

Stormpaw bent her head and snapped up a mouthful of the fragrant leaves, nearly gagging at their sharp taste. She winced but kept chewing. Larkpaw's white paws were already being stained by the dark blue berry juice.

With her mouth full of leaf pulp, Stormpaw mumbled, "What now?"

"Put it right here." Mothwing motioned with her paws to deep wounds around Mistyfoot's blood-soaked eyes. Shuddering slightly at the gashes, Stormpaw dutifully laid the crushed leaves where Mothwing had instructed. "Larkpaw, those berries are good now. Bring that around to the front so that Mistyfoot can eat them." She shifted out of the way.

Mistyfoot began to thrash around. "My eyes!" she wailed hollowly. "My eyes are on fire!"

Mothwing's amber eyes were full of pity, but she held the deputy's shoulder down. "Willowshine will be here soon," she murmured reassuringly. "She's bringing some herbs to help."

Mistyfoot didn't seem to hear. She wailed in a thin, high-pitched voice that set Stormpaw's teeth on edge.

Reedwhisker let out a yowl. "Someone's coming!"

"It's fine! It's Willowshine!" Beechfur mewed.

The gray tabby she-cat trotted quickly into the clearing. "I had to go to Barkface and get some," she panted, dropping a pile of yellow flowers with waxy petals near Mistyfoot. "Great StarClan! What happened?"

"Dog attack," Leopardstar said shortly.

Mothwing was already chewing up the stems of the celandine, casting the flower heads away. She gently exuded some of the clear sap from the green stems, watching anxiously as the juice found its way underneath Mistyfoot's ragged eyelids.

Mistyfoot relaxed at once, letting out a small sigh.

"Is it working?" Stormpaw asked shakily.

"Yes." Stormpaw was surprised when Mistyfoot answered herself. "It feels much better." She attempted to peel back her eyelids, but quickly gave up. "I'll be able to see soon, right?"

No cat answered.

Mistyfoot asked impatiently, "Well?"

Mothwing opened her mouth to reply, then closed it quickly. Eventually she mewed, "It's possible."

The deputy seemed to take that as an affirmative. "Good, good," she sighed. "Tell me, how is my patrol? Are they alright? All I remember is the attack…"

"Larkpaw is fine," Leopardstar hedged, her amber eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at the bodies of the other warriors that Mistyfoot could not see.

The deputy was quiet. "They're dead, aren't they?"

Larkpaw let out a small, shaky sob, and Stormpaw leaned into her, trying to comfort her sister with her own warmth.

Mistyfoot bowed her head, knowing that Larkpaw's small sound had answered the question better than any words could have. "May StarClan honor them," she said softly. "They were brave and didn't run away from the fight. Raifnstorm and Pinefur will be welcomed as heroes of RiverClan."

Willowshine nuzzled the deputy's ears. "Sleep, Mistyfoot," she whispered. "All will be well. They are with our ancestors now, and will watch over the Clan."

Mistyfoot nodded blankly, then bared her teeth and flattened her ears. "Those mongrels will pay for this," she hissed fiercely.

"We won't let them get away with this," Leopardstar vowed. "They will be avenged if I have to use every life I have left."

Stormpaw, hating herself for it, wanted to yowl, "Why didn't you say the same thing about my father!" Streamclaw had died at the claws of ThunderClan and no one seemed to care--not Leopardstar, not Mistyfoot…

She shook her head to clear the hateful thoughts. _Cats are dead, _she reminded herself. _This is no time to be thinking of the past. _

Stormpaw walked away from the deputy's side, feeling Larkpaw pad after her. They stopped by Rainstorm's side, and looked down at him. The blue-gray tom's eyes were closed, but he looked far from peaceful. The gash at his throat had bled out, leaving a solidifying puddle of dark blood around him. A snarl was imprinted on his face and his claws were still unsheathed.

Peering closer, Stormpaw gently eased a scrap of fur out from underneath his limp claws. Stiff, black hairs littered the ground around his body, but the clump of fur was smooth and white.

Larkpaw mewed, "There was a smaller white dog. That one must have killed him." Her claws tightened in the churned up dirt. "He promised me he'd hold everything together," she whispered brokenly. "He promised."

Stormpaw felt a bubble of grief rise in her chest, and she shook with the force of it. "It's all going to be okay," she whispered to her. _Please, StarClan, let it be okay! _

Wails of fear and sorrow rose up in the RiverClan camp as the patrol walked in with Rainstorm's and Pinefur's bodies. All eyes were wide and terrified, and Duskfur came running up, a yowl already rising from her throat.

"No! Please, StarClan, let this not be true!" she wailed, the sound otherworldly. "Tell me this isn't true!"

Leopardstar brushed against her pelt softly. "Rainstorm died a heroic death," she told the brown tabby she-cat. "His memory will be honored in the Clan for many, many seasons."

Duskfur's eyes were empty, and she sagged to the ground in despair. She didn't even seem to see Mistyfoot as Reedwhisker helped her to walk to the smooth tunnel that lead to the medicine cat's den. "My kits," she rasped, "will never know their father now."

Pity gripped Stormpaw's heart. _Just like Larkpaw and me, _she thought.

Beechfur and Willowshine gently lowered Pinefur's body to the ground. The medicine cat apprentice arranged the she-cat's broken limbs to look as natural and peaceful as possible. Bending close, she murmured, "May StarClan light your path."

Mothwing and Leopardstar set Rainstorm down in a similar way, although Duskfur ran over and pressed her fur into her mate's and began to clean the blood from his pelt. "He must be presentable for his ancestors," the she-cat murmured.

Mothwing dipped her head. "Let me get you some herbs, Duskfur," she insisted. "They'll make you feel better."

Duskfur shook her head. "I want to feel this," she whispered raggedly. "This proves to me how much I loved him." She buried her nose in his cold fur and sighed.

Stormpaw turned to Larkpaw and murmured, "Do you think that we'll ever find a tom like that?"

Larkpaw blinked. "I'm…not sure." She looked at something over Stormpaw's shoulder. "I think so, though."

Stormpaw glanced behind her but saw nothing. "Well, I'm not sure at all. I think that it's a story--just like those stories of TigerClan and LionClan." She tossed her head.

Larkpaw let out a small, sad purr. "You should be more optimistic," she chastised teasingly.

"Maybe." A wave of sorrow washed over Stormpaw. "Who's going to be the deputy now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Mistyfoot's not going to be able to." Stormpaw flicked her ears towards the medicine den; echoing wails of pain reverberated through the clearing.

Larkpaw looked away uncomfortably. "She might regain her sight."

Stormpaw scoffed. "How many wounds have you seen like that have recovered?"

"None," Larkpaw retorted. "And neither have you. Mistyfoot _will _recover!" Her pale blue eyes blazed.

Stunned by this outburst from her normally quiet sister, Stormpaw settled down and muttered, "I really hope you're right." She glanced around at the Clan, the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach multiplying every time a Clanmate saw their fallen friends. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the sound of the grieving cats, all the while wondering what Streamclaw would do in this situation.

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**So here we are again at the end of another chapter. This AN is also gone, so I really don't have anything to say. **

**Oh, wait!**

**Twilight sucks. **

**The end!**

**Shadow**


	14. Chapter 13

A/N Oh, so it's my turn again? Sorry everyone, I've had to study for finals (unlike a certain someone –coughShadowcough–), but now it's summer break, which means hopefully more updates! ^.^

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Larkpaw watched as her Clanmates gathered around Pinefur's and Rainstorm's bodies, paying their last respects to the fallen warriors. She felt grief for the dead warriors rack her chest as she tried to hold back a wail of sadness that threatened to break loose. She glanced over at Stormpaw to see her equally depressed, but also contemplative.

Mothwing could be heard trying to soothe Mistyfoot in the medicine den, and Larkpaw winced as the deputy gave out a screech of pain. She felt guilty for the way she had been acting towards Mistyfoot before the dogs had attacked, but at the time she had felt justified that Mistyfoot deserved it. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Leopardstar padded before the bodies of Pinefur and Rainstorm, and the cats surrounding them moved back a bit. Leopardstar's eyes were glazed over in grief as she started speaking, night rapidly falling over the forest around them. "Rainstorm and Pinefur were brave cats, and their loyalty could never be doubted," she started. "They always did their best to care for their Clanmates and their Clan as a whole; nothing more could be asked of them. They died bravely in battle and will be welcomed readily into the ranks of StarClan."

With that, Leopardstar lay down in front of the two warriors' bodies, her paws stretched out before her, and pressed her nose into each of their fur. Slowly, other cats began to gather around them and murmured words of respect to their fallen comrades, some staying to keep vigil for the night.

Larkpaw lay down in front of Rainstorm first and pressed her nose into his cold, stiff fur. It didn't feel real that he was dead; just that afternoon he had been joking happily with the other warriors and telling Duskfur how proud he was to be the father of her kits. The very thought that he was gone shattered Larkpaw's heart and shook her beliefs in everything that she knew. Why had StarClan let this happen? He was such a brave warrior, he didn't deserve to die!

"Rainstorm, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it in time," Larkpaw whispered, her voice cracking. "I wish…I wish I could have been stronger so that I could have helped you." Shakily, she turned to Pinefur. "You were always so cheerful and kind to everyone; I wish I could be like that. We'll all miss you, but I hope you're happy up in StarClan."

Larkpaw moved back from the two warriors as others came up to pay their respects. She caught Nettlepaw's eyes as he also retreated from Rainstorm and Pinefur, and she suddenly remembered him defending her in the battle with ThunderClan that day. Why am I always being protected by others? Larkpaw thought in despair. The she knew what she had to do.

Padding softly over to Nettlepaw, Larkpaw gazed up at him with eyes pierced with sorrow and regret. "Nettlepaw, thank you for helping me in the battle with ThunderClan," she whispered so that only he could hear her. "I'm not sorry I went, though, and I don't think I ever will be. But I promise…I promise I will become stronger."

If Nettlepaw was surprised by her sudden acceptance of what had happened, he didn't show it. "I'm sorry, too," he replied in equally soft tones. "I never meant to offend you; I just didn't want you to get hurt. Let's get stronger together."

"Thank you," Larkpaw repeated, nodding slightly, before walking to where Stormpaw was sitting solemnly near the apprentices' den. Stormpaw, usually so cheerful and energetic, now looked like nothing more than a small, ragged kit compared to the tragedy around her.

"What now?" Stormpaw asked quietly as Larkpaw sat next to her, her eyes unfocused and staring into the distance.

Larkpaw found that she couldn't answer, so she shook her head instead. Another wail from the medicine den jerked her to her paws, but Stormpaw didn't so much as twitch. "We've faced too many deaths," she whispered, almost to herself.

"Stormpaw, are you okay?" Larkpaw asked, genuinely worried. She had never seen her sister act this way; she was always the one that took charge and knew exactly what to do. To see her like this...

"I don't know what to do anymore," Stormpaw said, as if reading Larkpaw's mind.

Larkpaw sat down again and pressed her fur against Stormpaw's, trying to comfort her. "It'll all be okay," Larkpaw mewed. I hope, she added silently, but of course she couldn't say it out loud.

Out of the corner of her eye, Larkpaw saw Leopardstar exit the medicine den with her head bowed and her tail dragging behind her. When she saw that Larkpaw was watching her with her solemn sky blue eyes, RiverClan's leader straightened as she walked with her head held high to the center of the clearing.

"Cats of RiverClan," she yowled, though there really was no need. The camp was in a dead silence even before Leopardstar had begun to talk. "I have just received word from Mothwing, and she has told me that Mistyfoot will not recover her sight." A few gasps of surprise rose up from the gathered cats, but the only ones who were surprised were those that hadn't seen Mistyfoot's state already.

"I shall now name the new deputy of RiverClan," Leopardstar continued. "I say these words before my former deputy Mistyfoot, so that she may hear and approve my choice. Icewing will be the new deputy of RiverClan." Heads turned towards Icewing's direction, who just stood there, shocked.

"Icewing! Icewing!" Larkpaw called loudly when no one made a move after a long heartbeat.

"Icewing! Icewing!" Nettlepaw and Stormpaw joined in, followed by the rest of the Clan.

Icewing composed herself and stood tall. "I promise I'll try to serve my Clan as best as I can," she mewed strongly. "Thank you for this honor, Leopardstar."

"I hope you won't disappoint me," Leopardstar replied with a nod of her head. Then she turned and disappeared into her den.

The RiverClan cats congratulated Icewing before heading off into their respective dens. Larkpaw and Stormpaw padded over to the newly named deputy and tiredly gave their congratulations as well, then padded over to the apprentices' den.

Larkpaw felt like her paws were made of lead that kept getting heavier with every step she took. When she finally flopped down into her nest, she felt like she could sleep for the next moon. However, it took her a long time to get to sleep, and when she finally did, her dreams were plagued by the slashing claws of dogs, a misty haze of red surrounding her vision, and the wail of dying and injured cats in the background.

"Larkpaw," one of the voices called. "Larkpaw…Larkpaw…."

"Larkpaw!" Stormpaw yelled, jabbing her sister in the side with a sheathed paw. Larkpaw jumped to her feet, her fur bristling in alarm as she looked around her wildly. "What's wrong with you?" Stormpaw asked, giving her sister a curious stare.

"N-nothing," Larkpaw stammered, licking her shoulder to make her fur lie flat.

"The elders are about to bury Rainstorm and Pinefur," Stormpaw informed her, her eyes clouding briefly. "I thought you'd want to see."

Larkpaw nodded and let Stormpaw lead the way out of the apprentices' den and into the clearing where half the Clan was gathered. Dawnflower and Blackclaw were carrying Rainstorm between them as they left through the tangle of reeds on the outskirts of the camp, Swallowtail and Mosspelt not far behind them with Pinefur. Duskfur looked like she was going to chase after them, but Reedwhisker put his tail on her shoulder and shook his head slightly.

The dead cats' tails dragged in the dirt along with their limp limbs, and their head hung forward as if admitting defeat. It sent shivers down Larkpaw's spine as she saw the last trace of the cats disappear behind the reeds. The camp was silent as everyone stood not knowing what to do.

"Beechfur, Larkpaw, Pouncetail, and Pebblefur, I want you to go on a hunting patrol," Icewing announced after casting a glance at Leopardstar. "Minnowtail, Robinwing, Stormpaw, and Reedwhisker, check out the border near WindClan. For now, everyone stay away from the area where the dogs appeared."

The cats moved off, apparently glad to have someone tell them what to do. Icewing will make a good deputy, Larkpaw thought, but she had hoped that Mistyfoot would regain her sight. RiverClan without Mistyfoot as deputy just didn't feel the same. She followed her mentor silently out of the camp with the rest of the patrol.

"We should hunt near the stream that goes to the lake," Pebblefur suggested. "A lot of prey will be there to drink, and we could catch some fish, too, if we're lucky." Beechfur nodded and headed in that direction.

Larkpaw just barely remembered to scent the air for any signs of prey on the way there. Ahead, Beechfur and Pouncetail veered off in different directions. Pebblefur kept going on to the stream, and Larkpaw picked her way through the undergrowth going in her own direction.

She stopped to scent the air again and caught the faint trace of a mouse. Flicking her gaze around, she spotted the small creature digging into the ground near the base of a tree. Larkpaw slowly crept forward, her pawsteps light as she approached it. Just as she was getting ready to jump, a branch snapped underpaw, and the mouse looked up, alarmed.

Hissing in frustration, Larkpaw leaped on the mouse before it could run and snapped its neck with one blow of her paw. Sighing, Larkpaw stared at the limp mouse and wondered if that's what a dead cat looked like to a dog; nothing but a piece of fresh-kill. The thought made her shudder, and she quickly buried the mouse and moved on.

A little while later, Larkpaw rejoined the patrol with a mouse and a squirrel. The others hadn't fared much better, which made her feel a little better. When they returned to camp, Larkpaw noticed Stormpaw exiting the elders' den, meaning that she had already given them their fresh-kill.

As Larkpaw dropped her fresh-kill on the pile, she saw Willowshine come out of the medicine den. Bounding over to her, Larkpaw asked, "How's Mistyfoot doing?"

"She'll get better soon," Willowshine answered vaguely.

"How is she now, though?" Larkpaw persisted.

"She's in a foul mood about losing her sight and her position as deputy," Willowshine sighed. "Her eyes aren't hurting her as much, though. Would you like to see her?"

Larkpaw thought about it for a moment. Maybe she should apologize to the deputy…then again, she really didn't want to face the former deputy. She shook her head, deciding to wait. Willowshine nodded in farewell and left the camp, presumably to look for herbs.

Looking around, Larkpaw realized that she didn't know what she should do next. She wanted to train with Beechfur, but he was talking with some of the senior warriors and they had just gotten back from a patrol, too.

"Stormpaw!" Larkpaw called to her sister, who was sniffing at the fresh-kill pile. She lifted her head and looked in Larkpaw's direction before padding over to her.

"What is it?" Stormpaw asked.

"Do you want to practice some battle moves with me?" Larkpaw asked.

Stormpaw flicked her ears. "Why do you want to practice now?"

"What's wrong with wanting to practice?" Larkpaw retorted. "Are you going to, or not?"

"Okay, okay," Stormpaw agreed. "Just let me get something to eat first; I'm starving."

As Larkpaw watched her sister go, she silently repeated her promise to get stronger so that she could protect her Clanmates next time.

* * *

A/N So last night I finished watching Code Geass R2 (for the first time), and now I am thoroughly depressed, which is probably why this chapter ended up how it did. I have never seen anything more moving and tragic than that anime series, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who asked.


	15. Chapter 14

**I sorry! It's been so long since this updated! It's all my fault, too. So...I sorry. :P**

* * *

As the days passed, Stormpaw and Larkpaw continued their training as RiverClan apprentices. Green-leaf passed into leaf-fall, and the skies grew clouded with impending snowfall. RiverClan had seen nothing of the monstrous dogs that had killed her Clanmates and stolen Mistyfoot's sight. The forests had been as dark and peaceful as they ever had been.

Stormpaw narrowed her eyes as she crouched in the shade of a clump of rushes, gaze locked on a twitching oak leaf in front of her. She waggled her haunches and took a pawstep forward, keeping her weight low over the ground. With one final deep breath, she launched herself towards the leaf, claws outstretched and teeth bared. She hit the ground with a thump, then turned around and proudly displayed the limp body of the mouse to her mentor.

Reedwhisker trotted out of the undergrowth, his green eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "That was excellent," he purred, flicking his tail down his apprentice's flank. "A perfect catch."

Stormpaw noticed with glee that she was nearly as tall as he was—her shoulder lining up with his. "Thanks, Reedwhisker," she replied, curling her tail up happily. She shook out her pelt—no longer kit-soft, but long and thick like the rest of her Clan.

"Well, that's it for the assessment," he mewed, looking past her into the forest. "Well done."

"Did I pass?" Stormpaw could barely hold back her excitement.

Reedwhisker looked back down at her eager face and laughed. "Don't you want to wait for your sister and Beechfur?"

Stormpaw frowned, knowing his words were correct. "I guess."

Reedwhisker bent his head to pluck the mouse off the ground, mumbling, "Why don't you go and get the rest of the prey? I'll meet you back at camp."

"Okay!" Stormpaw turned tail and pounded in the direction of the crossing streams, where Reedwhisker tested her fishing skills. Stormpaw wasn't actually a good fisher—she couldn't ever seem to hook them with her claws correctly. She had spent many frustrated days just sitting over the water, one paw held in the air to catch the prey that never came near her. She had luckily managed to capture a single fish—a small, scrawny thing with little good meat on it.

Seeing it now, Stormpaw trotted happily towards the stream, not paying any close attention until a sudden scent wafted across her face, automatically sending a ripple of fear down her spine.

_Dog._

She dashed towards the nearest tree, stumbling over her own paws and she fought back the panic that threatened to consume her, already imagining the hot breath of the dog on her back, the feel of those huge teeth meeting in her dark silver pelt...

She bit back a yowl as she leapt towards the willow tree, sinking her strong claws into the gray bark and clawing her way to a high branch. She peered down into the clearing to see where the dog was, fully expecting to see the beast maiming a Clanmate or running amok. Instead, there was no dog in sight.

Stormpaw frowned, knowing that she had not scented wrongly: nothing could possibly smell as strong as a dog. _What in StarClan's name is going on? _She shifted to a different branch, but there was still no dog.

Slowly, she lowered herself out of the tree and onto the ground, sticking close to the thorny undergrowth just in case. Bending her head, Stormpaw drew in scent along the glands in the roof of her mouth, closing her eyes to help her concentrate. "Dog," she whispered aloud. "But where is it?"

"Stormpaw?" Larkpaw peered out of the bushes, her sky blue eyes wide and worried. "What are you—"

"Hush!" Stormpaw hissed, rushing over to clamp her tail over her sister's mouth before she could say anymore. "Don't you smell that?"

Larkpaw pulled back and sniffed the air, alarm lighting her eyes when she detected the scent, too. "Dog," she whispered, sweeping her gaze around the clearing. "But there's no dog here..."

"I know. I can't figure it out. I think we should go tell Leopardstar."

"Wait!" Larkpaw padded out into the clearing, beckoning with her tail for Stormpaw to join her. "Come look here!"

With another wary glance, Stormpaw hurried over to her sister's side, staring down at the ground in front of her. An enormous pawprint was stamped into the ground, nearly perfectly preserved in the thick, soft mud. Stormpaw pressed her own paw into the print, leaving a small indentation in the center. It looked as comical as a mouse beside a fox.

"Dog prints. They must be drinking here," Larkpaw mewed, one paw hovering above the pawprint as if she were afraid to touch it. "We need to report this. If cats come here to fish..." She trailed off, pulling her paw back.

Stormpaw shivered, but not from the frosty air. "We better get back. Reedwhisker was waiting for you and Beechfur."

Padding swiftly through the ferny undergrowth, Larkpaw's spirits picked up and she chatted optimistically as usual. "Beechfur said I did well," she mewed. "Maybe we'll be made warriors!"

"I hope so!" Stormpaw closed her eyes and imagined a warrior name. "Maybe Leopardstar will name me Stormwind!"

"That would be a good name!" Larkpaw praised. "Maybe she'll name me Larkstorm! Although then I'd have a similar name to you," she added.

Stormpaw laughed, nudging her sister's brown-speckled shoulder. "If you're Larkstorm, then I'd be Stormlark! We'd have the best names in the forest!"

They laughed together as they made their way back to camp, only remembering the bad news they had to report when they had already found their mentors.

Beechfur looked up from chatting softly with Reedwhisker as they approached. "There you two are! Great StarClan, we've been wondering where you've been!"

"I thought you were just going to get that fish." Reedwhisker frowned as he looked sternly at his apprentice. "Where have you been?"

"Dogs have been drinking at where the streams cross," Stormpaw mewed bluntly. "Both Larkpaw and I scented them and we found tracks."

Reedwhisker's eyes flared open. "You're sure?" he demanded. Behind him, Beechfur set his shoulders stiffly.

"Yes," Larkpaw answered. "Fairly recently, too, because the mud was still wet."

Beechfur pulled back, a contemplative look on his face. "I thought they'd gone," he murmured, almost too soft to hear. "By the thrashing they got by Rainstorm and Pinefur, before—" He stopped abruptly, dropping his gaze.

Reedwhisker was slowly nodding. "Leopardstar just went on patrol," he mewed, "but when she gets back you two can report it."

"We can report it?" Stormpaw was shocked—normally only warriors reported straight to the Clan leader.

Beechfur looked back up and purred. "Yes. Reedwhisker and I have decided it's time for you to become warriors."

Larkpaw's mouth dropped open beside her, but Stormpaw barely noticed. It felt like every hair on her pelt was standing on end. _A warrior! _She shivered delightedly, pressing her shoulder against Larkpaw's. "Warriors!" she mewed gleefully.

Reedwhisker watched the exchange between the sisters with amused eyes. "You might want to go tell Otterheart while Leopardstar's still gone. I'll come and get you when she arrives."

"Okay!" Larkpaw mewed cheerfully. "Come on, Stormpaw!" She dashed across to the fresh-kill pile, where Otterheart had just plucked a vole from the pile.

The dark brown she-cat dropped the prey when her kits trotted up. "Hello, dear ones." Her green eyes were glittering with pride, as if she already knew what they were going to say.

"Otterheart, we're going to be warriors!" Stormpaw almost yowled. "We passed our assessments!"

"Of course you did." Otterheart touched her nose to Stormpaw's head. "You really are his kits. Streamclaw would be so proud."

Stormpaw dropped her gaze awkwardly, while Larkpaw let out a purr. "Thanks, Otterheart! How have you been?" she went on. "We haven't seen you in a while."

Stormpaw looked at her mother critically as she responded to Larkpaw's question, her eyes locked on her dark brown pelt. Gray hairs flickered in the sunlight as Otterheart moved her head. More gray hairs clustered around her muzzle, and Stormpaw noticed that the dark brown she-cat had lost weight.

Stormpaw felt a wave of sadness flood through her as she looked at Otterheart. The she-cat wasn't that old, but the stress of losing her mate and fearing for her daughters was making her an elder before her time. "Do you need some prey?" she said abruptly, interrupting Larkpaw's question.

Otterheart looked a little shocked. "Well, I just went to get some—"

"I'll get it for you." Stormpaw shrugged past her and grabbed a plump mouse. "Come on," she mewed through the mouthful of fur. "We'll sit with you."

Larkpaw was shooting furtive glances at her, but, catching on, grabbed a silver fish and pulled it over into the shade with her mother.

"Um, thank you, Stormpaw." Otterheart looked down at the mouse at her paws, then back up at her daughter. "It looks delicious." She tucked in, eating as if she hadn't in a long time.

"What's up with you?" Larkpaw whispered as she pushed the fish over to Stormpaw.

"Look at her," Stormpaw hissed back. "Look at her fur."

Larkpaw glanced over at her mother, her eyes narrowing as she saw what Stormpaw meant. "Have you been eating well, Otterheart?"

"Yes," Otterheart responded, now looking confused. "What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Stormpaw and Larkpaw mewed together, bending their heads to the fish.

"We haven't been paying as much attention to her as we should," Larkpaw breathed.

"I know," Stormpaw agreed wearily. "We need to make sure that she's eating right. She looks really stressed out worrying about us and the Clan."

"I'm sure she's still mourning after Streamclaw, too." Larkpaw's eyes were sad. "She must miss him. They were close even as apprentices."

Stormpaw took a bite of the fish, savoring the flavor. "Otterheart, did your patrol find any evidence of the dogs?"

Otterheart looked up, licking her whiskers clean. "No, not really. All we found was old scent where...where the attack occurred."

After sharing a glance with Stormpaw, Larkpaw mewed, "We found scent and tracks by the crossing streams today."

Otterheart sat up, alarmed. "Where you hurt? Did you see the dogs? If anything happened—"

"Nothing, nothing." Larkpaw quickly backtracked. "We didn't see them. We're actually waiting for Leopardstar to return."

Otterheart slowly lowed herself back down on her belly, looking down at the bones of the mouse. "You get to report it?" she asked, her eyes glowing.

"Yup!" Stormpaw mewed happily. "Like warriors!"

"If we get lucky, we might be warriors tonight!" Larkpaw added, her pelt bristling with excitement. "There's Leopardstar now!"

Stormpaw snapped her head up, looking for the distinct dappled pelt of her leader. Icewing was at her side, her blue eyes glittering in the light and her snowy pelt tugged by the breeze. "Let's go tell her!" she meowed, getting to her paws and starting over.

"Bye, Otterheart!" Larkpaw called over her shoulder as she followed her sister across the clearing.

"Leopardstar!" Stormpaw called. "We have something to report.

Leopardstar turned her amber gaze on the two apprentices. "Yes? What is it?" Her voice was curt.

Looking a little taken aback, Larkpaw mewed quietly, "We found some traces that the dogs are still in our territory."

At once, Icewing pressed forward, her eyes gleaming. "Did you? Where?"

"By the streams," Stormpaw answered. "We found scent and tracks—"

"Excellent." Icewing turned to Leopardstar. "Shall I lead a patrol over there? We can fully investigate it."

Stormpaw felt a little irked by the way the deputy said "fully investigate it." "Larkpaw and I have already _investigated _it," she mewed bluntly. "We didn't actually see the dogs."

"Stormpaw." Larkpaw's voice was a warning.

Icewing's eyes widened. She took a step forward and opened her mouth, but Leopardstar mewed smoothly, "Yes, take three cats. Come back if you see any threat."

Icewing nodded, casting a frosty look at Stormpaw before padding into the warriors' den.

"Thank you for reporting it," Leopardstar mewed. She turned away to head into her den, her eyes clouded.

"Do...do we get to be warriors now?" Larkpaw asked tentatively, seeing the look on her leader's face.

"We'll see," was Leopardstar's answer as she disappeared into her den.  
Stormpaw felt like her paws were frozen to the ground. "What?" she murmured blankly. "Aren't...aren't we going to be warriors?"

"She's just distracted." Larkpaw's words were uncertain. "We've already done everything apprentices were supposed to do. Reedwhisker and Beechfur will vouch for us."

"Yeah right," Stormpaw said darkly, turning away from the leader's den. "That's what they all say."

* * *

**Woot! So...did you like? Not like? Tell us so we can make it awesome!**

**R&R!**

**Shadow**


	16. Chapter 15

A/N I guess it's my turn again. Yay…? Shadow, you didn't exactly give me any idea what you wanted me to do with the dogs. -_-'

Also, we have a new Allegiances since quite a bit of time has passed since Stormpaw and Larkpaw are now about to become warriors, and many changes had happened before then as well. Thus, the previous apprentices are now warriors. However, Stormpaw and Larkpaw are still listed as apprentices…for now. :P

* * *

**RiverClan**

**Leader:**  
Leopardstar-unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

**Deputy:  
**Icewing-white she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine Cat:  
**Mothwing-dappled golden she-cat  
_Apprentice, Willowshine_

**Warriors:  
**Voletooth-small brown tabby tom

Reedwhisker-black tom

Beechfur-light brown tom

Rippletail-dark gray tabby tom

Graymist-pale gray tabby

Dapplenose-mottled gray she-cat

Pouncetail-ginger-and-white tom

Mintfur-light gray tabby tom

Otterheart-Dark brown she-cat

Pebblefur-gray tom

Minnowtail-gray-and-white she-cat with fluffy fur

Mallowtail- Gray tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Robinwing- Ginger she-cat with white chest and paws, amber eyes

Nettleclaw- Dark brown tabby with green eyes

Copperstripe- Light brown tom with amber eyes

Beetlewing- Dark brown tom, amber eyes

Petalbreeze- Pale ginger she-cat, green eyes

Grassfoot- White she-cat, green eyes

Pricklefang- Pale brown she-cat, amber eyes

**Apprentices:  
**Willowshine- Small, pale gray tabby she-cat

Larkpaw- Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, sky-blue eyes

Stormpaw- Dark silver tabby she-cat with white paws and chest, green eyes

**Queens:  
**Duskfur-brown tabby she-cat, mother of Rainstorm's kits:  
Skykit- black she-cat, blue eyes

Splashkit- brown tabby she-cat, green eyes

Thrushkit- dark gray tom, amber eyes

Redkit- ginger tabby tom, green eyes

**Elders:  
**Swallowtail-dark tabby she-cat

Mosspelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Dawnflower-pale gray she-cat

Blackclaw-smoky-black tom

Mistyfoot-gray she-cat with blue eyes

* * *

Larkpaw paced restlessly in front of the apprentices' den. It was a lonely place ever since Grassfoot and Pricklefang finally became warriors, leaving Larkpaw and Stormpaw the only warrior apprentices left. But hopefully they wouldn't be apprentices much longer.

"Larkpaw, Larkpaw!" high-pitched voices chorused. Larkpaw look up as Duskfur's four kits scrambled towards her excitedly.

"Will you play with us?" Skykit, a small brown tabby, asked. The little she-cat looked up at Larkpaw with blue, pleading eyes.

"Pleeease?" Redkit added. His ginger tabby fur was ruffled from playing earlier.

Thrushkit, one of the more serious of the kits, watched on silently. His dark gray fur glinted dully in the fading sunlight. "Where's Stormpaw?" he asked.

"She's talking with Copperstripe somewhere," Larkpaw answered.

Splashkit was practically bouncing on her paws in barely concealed eagerness. "Can we get them to play with us too?" she asked.

"I'm afraid we're a little busy," Larkpaw apologized.

"No you're not; you were just walking in circles a minute ago!" Skykit accused.

"I had something I needed to think over," Larkpaw explained.

"What is it?" Thrushkit asked curiously.

"Did you think it over yet?" Redkit piped up.

Larkpaw was saved from having to answer as Leopardstar walked into the middle of the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here for a Clan meeting!" she yowled.

Cats slowly shuffled out of their dens and filled the camp to hear what their leader had to say. Larkpaw saw Nettleclaw come out of the warriors den with Petalbreeze and felt a pang of annoyance as the she-cat looked at him with large, compassionate eyes. Then Stormpaw was suddenly at her side, nudging her.

"Do you think this is our warrior naming ceremony?" Stormpaw asked when she had gotten Larkpaw's attention.

"I'm not sure," Larkpaw answered truthfully. "Leopardstar doesn't exactly look happy."

"She never looks happy," Stormpaw snorted.

Larkpaw found that she couldn't disagree with her sister, so she stayed silent as Leopardstar started to speak.

"Today, fresh dog tracks were found near the stream," Leopardstar informed the Clan. A few gasps went up, but Larkpaw noticed more than a few of them narrow their eyes in hate for the creatures who took away their Clanmates. "I want everyone to be careful from now on. Patrols will have at least four cats."

The Leopardstar glanced to where Beechfur and Reedwhisker were seated; both warriors nodded almost imperceptibly. "Before I dismiss you, there is one more duty I must perform," Leopardstar continued. "Reedwhisker, is your apprentice Stormpaw ready for her warrior ceremony?"

Larkpaw heard Stormpaw gasp as her mentor answered, "She has worked hard and diligently."

"Beechfur, is your apprentice Larkpaw ready for her warrior ceremony?" Leopardstar asked, turning to Larkpaw's own mentor.

"She has tried her best at everything she's done," Beechfur answered proudly, glancing fondly at Larkpaw.

"Then I, Leopardstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices," Leopardstar announced, making sure every cat in the camp could hear her. "They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Stormpaw, Larkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," Stormpaw replied, eagerness clear in her voice and in her expression.

"I do," Larpaw repeated proudly, though a little breathlessly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names," Leopardstar continued. "Stormpaw, from this moment you will be known as Stormflight. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Leopardstar rested her muzzle on Stormflight's head and she in turn licked her leader's shoulder.

Stormflight stepped into the crowd up cats, her head held high as she sat down between Copperstripe and Reedwhisker. Otterheart stood right behind her and bent down to give her a loving lick between the ears.

"Larkpaw, from this moment you will be known as Larkfall," Leopardstar mewed. "StarClan honors your steadfastness and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." The RiverClan leader rested her muzzle on Larkfall's shaking head, and she licked Leopardstar's shoulder.

"Stormflight! Larkfall! Stormflight! Larkfall!" the Clan cheered. Larkfall retreated to her sister's side, Otterheart gently licking her over the ears like she had for Stormflight.

"Congratulations, Larkfall," Nettleclaw purred, coming to stand on her other side. "You too, Stormflight."

"Thanks," Larkfall replied, her ears hot with embarrassment as everyone came and congratulated her and Stormflight.

"We get to sleep in the warriors' den now!" Stormflight noted with glee.

"Let's go find you two some nests," Copperstripe suggested, leading the way to the warriors' den.

Stormflight fell in step behind him while Larkfall walked beside Nettleclaw a little bit behind the two. "How is it?" Nettleclaw asked. "Being a warrior now, I mean."

"I don't feel any different," Larkfall admitted.

"You'll have your silent vigil tonight with your sister," Nettleclaw mused. "You'll be able to sleep all day tomorrow, too."

"My first full day as a warrior and I'll spend it sleeping," Larkfall mewed disappointedly.

"Trust me, you'll have a lot more days being a warrior than just your first," Nettleclaw laughed.

"I guess so," Larkfall agreed.

By now they were in the warriors' den, making their way through the various nests of moss filled with feathers and rocks. "These two are empty," Copperstripe announced from up ahead.

"My nest is right next to those," Nettleclaw mewed thoughtfully.

"I'll take that one," Larkfall instantly volunteered, settling into the nest right next to the one with Nettleclaw's scent. "It's comfy."

"Then I guess I'll have the one on your other side," Stormflight meowed simply, sitting down beside Larkfall.

"Larkfall, Dapplenose wants you on her border patrol," Petalbreeze informed her, poking her head through the den wall.

"Thanks, Petalbreeze," Larkfall replied, standing up and shaking her pelt out to get rid of scraps of moss that clung to it. She padded out of the den, making her way over to where Dapplenose stood by the camp entrance with Mintfur and Voletooth.

"Look's like we're all here," Dapplenose noted, flicking her tail for the patrol to move out.

"What border are we going along?" Larkfall inquired.

"WindClan's," Dapplenose answered. "We haven't had any problems with them since that battle so many moons ago, but you never know." She narrowed her eyes, but Larkfall couldn't tell what she was thinking.

Larkfall scented the air as they neared the border, but she was only half paying attention. She was still so excited about being made a warrior that she nearly missed the fresh scent of ThunderClan and WindClan. "ThunderClan and WindClan," she hissed to the others, looking around for the source of the scents. She didn't have far to look.

A group of about two or three ThunderClan cats was standing at the border with four WindClan warriors surrounding them, staring at them suspiciously but making no move to attack.

"What's going on?" Dapplenose demanded, stepping in front of the ThunderClan cats.

"We need to talk to Leopardstar," a black she-cat said. Larkpaw recognized her as Hollyleaf, the ThunderClan warrior she had talked to the night of her first Gathering; however, she didn't recognize any of the other ThunderClan cats.

"And you?" Dapplenose asked, turning to the WindClan warriors.

"We are merely making sure ThunderClan don't cause trouble while they're on our territory," a tom mewed coolly. "We will wait for their return here, so please be quick about your business."

"RiverClan takes orders from no cat," Dapplenose retorted. Larkfall could tell that she was hard pressed to keep her fur from bristling as she added, "Don't forget who it was that came to help you when ThunderClan attacked."

The tom's mouth curled into a snarl as he hissed, "Do not think we are indebted to you for that incident."

Larkfall wondered if it was such a good idea to talk about that in front of the ThunderClan cats, but the look in Hollyleaf's eyes was only cool and calculating as she watched the exchange. The other two cats looked equally unfazed.

"Come on then," Dapplenose ordered after a pause, then turned to Larkfall. "Go ahead of us to camp and tell Leopardstar that we're coming."

Larkfall nodded, then bounded back through the forest towards camp. The undergrowth caught at her fur along the way, but she pushed past it until she was tugging her way through the reeds that surrounded the RiverClan camp.

"Where's Leopardstar?" Larkfall asked the nearest warrior.

"In her den," the warrior answered, looking faintly alarmed. "Is something wrong?"

Wordlessly, Larkfall shook her head and shot past him to the leader's den. "Leopardstar!" she called.

"What is it?" Leopardstar asked, immediately rising from where she had been lying in her nest only a moment before.

"A ThunderClan patrol is coming to talk to you," Larkfall answered.

"How many cats?" Leopardstar inquired, her eyes narrowing.

"Three, including Hollyleaf," Larkfall replied promptly. "I think she's leading the patrol."

"Then they probably won't try to attack," Leopardstar muttered, talking more to herself than Larkfall. She nodded her head, apparently having made up her mind about something. "Good work, Larkfall."

Leopardstar padded out of the den to where half the Clan had gathered to see the arrival of Dapplenose's returning patrol and the ThunderClan cats.

"Who are they?" Splashkit asked curiously.

"They smell yucky," Skykit added.

"Hush now," Duskfur mewed, wrapping her tail protectively around her four kits. "Get back inside the nursery."

"Leopardstar," Hollyleaf greeted, stepping forward and bowing her head respectfully.

"Hollyleaf," Leopardstar replied. "What is going on?"

"We have come to talk to you," Hollyleaf answered. "Alone," she added, glancing around the Clan.

Leopardstar looked as if she was about to say that anything she had to say could be said in front of the Clan, but seemed to decide against it. "Very well," was all she said. "We can talk in my den."

Leopardstar led the way to her, Hollyleaf following her, but the other two cats remained behind. Larkfall padded up to them when Dapplenose motioned with her ears to come forward. "Help us watch them," she murmured so that the ThunderClan cats couldn't hear her. Larkfall nodded.

"Are you Larkpaw?" one of the cats asked, her tone friendly.

Larkfall, startled, replied, "My name is Larkfall now. How did you know who I was?"

"You look just like your father, Streamclaw," the ginger she-cat answered. "My name is Squirrelflight." When she saw the look of sadness that passed over Larkfall's face, she added, "I'm sorry about your father. What happened with Spiderleg…it was just an accident."

"Spiderleg?" Larkfall repeated, confused. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Didn't you know?" Squirrelflight asked, surprised. "Spiderleg was battling with Streamclaw when he died."

* * *

A/N Dun dun DUN! I just love dramatic endings. ^.^

Sorry it took me so long to update, but to be honest, I've kind of lost my interest in Warriors; it's just gone so downhill. I mean, Ashfur being the big meanie traitor? Geez, no one would've _ever_ guessed that. -rolls eyes-

Aaanyways, it's Shadow's turn next! Don't you just love what I did in this chapter? }:D

Please review~


	17. Chapter 16

**Heeeeeey! It's Shadow again!**

**So, basically, I'm cool with it if you guys hate me. If _I_ were you, I would hate me, too, with the lack of updating I do. 'Specially if you read my other Warriors fics, you know that I like used to update every day. Haha, so, I hope you don't hate me, but if you do... -offers cookies-**

**:D**

**On to the story!**

* * *

Stormflight sat towards the back of the camp, her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she watched the ThunderClan and WindClan warriors settle down as a black ThunderClan she-cat and a scrawny WindClan tom went with Leopardstar into her den. _What could they be doing here? _she wondered. _This is going to interrupt my vigil! _She had worked her tail off being an apprentice, and finally, when the day she had been waiting for had finally come, the other Clans had to go and mess it up. She growled under her breath as one of the ThunderClan cats—a cream she-cat—whipped her head around to stare at Stormflight, as if sensing her gaze.

"Rosepaw," she snarled softly, recognizing the cat from the WindClan battle. _It would be a much fairer fight now, _she mused, looking at the she-cat's soft pelt. Stormflight had heard that the ThunderClan cat's mother was a kittypet straight from the Twoleg barn, but had never noticed the softness in her kits before.

Soft paw steps alerted her to Copperstripe's presence. "I wonder what they're doing here?" he mused aloud, echoing Stormflight's thoughts.

"Dunno," she answered, her eyes roaming over the rest of the patrol—two broad-shouldered toms she didn't know. "It can't be anything good, though."

"No," he agreed, sitting down beside her, almost close enough for Stormflight's dark silver pelt to mingle in his. She noticed this with a sudden burst of embarrassment, getting to her paws quickly.

"Should I go ask?" she asked hastily, not looking at him directly.

He looked up, surprised. "No, Leopardstar will tell us soon enough. Come on, sit back down." He motioned with his tail to the space next to him.

Stormflight sat back down slowly, inching just far enough away so she couldn't feel the heat of his pelt. _StarClan, what's wrong with me? s_he cursed to herself silently._ This is _Copperstripe_! I grew up with him! _"This hasn't happened before."

"That's not true," he argued, flicking his tail behind him. "Remember the WindClan battle?"

_Oh, I remember that battle. _She closed her eyes as the memory of battle cries, spraying blood, and torn fur echoed distantly in her mind. "Maybe there's another one coming up."

Copperstripe opened his mouth, but cut off suddenly when Leopardstar padded out of her den, the other two cats following, their eyes shadowed.

"Cats of RiverClan, join here in the clearing for a Clan meeting!" she called, padding over to stand in the clear space under the willow trees.

"Here we go," Copperstripe muttered under his breath. He got to his paws and shook out his light pelt.

Stormflight looked up in surprise, seeing his face darken when he looked at the enemy warriors. "Copperstripe—"

"It's nothing," he cut her off smoothly, but his amber eyes were still sparking. "Shall we sit together?"

"S-sure," Stormflight answered, feeling a flutter in her belly. She got up and quickly followed him over to where most of the Clan had already gathered, but stopped halfway when she saw a flash of white in the undergrowth. _Larkfall? _

Her sister was standing rigidly, her shoulders tight under her pale pelt. Stormflight couldn't see her face, but knew from her posture that she was stunned. "Larkfall!" she called, bounding over to her, leaning down to look into her sister's blue eyes—immediately shocked by the blankness of them. "Larkfall!"

Slowly, Larkfall focused on Stormflight, her eyes sorrowful and furious at the same time. "Stormflight," she hissed suddenly. "I just spoke with Squirrelflight."

"Er...okay?" Stormflight was scared of her sister's tone. "Can it wait until after the meeting? Leopardstar already—"

"She told me things," Larkfall mewed stiffly, cutting right across Stormflight's words. "Things about Streamclaw."

A sudden pit of dread twisted in Stormflight's belly. _She knows._ "Larkfall..." she whispered. "Don't."

"She told me," Larkfall continued, lowering her head, "that a ThunderClan warrior killed Streamclaw. Spiderleg," she clarified. "Spiderleg killed him."

Stormflight closed her eyes and took in a sharp breath. _What should I do? I've know about this for so long...moons and moons. How can I tell her that I knew this and kept it secret? _

"Larkfall! Larkfall, come on!"

Thanking every spirit in StarClan for Nettleclaw's perfect timing, she turned away from her sister quickly, muttering, "We'll talk later."

"Larkfall!" Nettleclaw's green eyes were concerned as he caught sight of the speckled she-cat's expression. "Are you...are you okay?"

"Fine," Larkfall mewed tightly, smoothening out her creased face. Stormflight could tell that it took some effort. "Fine, thanks."

"Cats of RiverClan!" Leopardstar yowled. "Two other Clans have come to us with a plea for help."

Stormflight watched the outraged looks on the WindClan cats' faces at the word "plea."

"ShadowClan has gathered their forces on ThunderClan's border, and are about to launch a counter-attack on WindClan." Leopardstar's eyes raked the clearing. "They're going to try and crush WindClan. With the oncoming leaf-bare, any attack on WindClan's medicine storage could prove fatal."

"Why should we do anything for WindClan?" Blackclaw demanded from the elders' den. "What have they done for us? We've put our tails on the line for them time and time again, and what do we have to show from it?"

Murmurs of agreement rose up from the clearing.

Leopardstar nodded stiffly. "That may be, but WindClan on our side could be an advantage in any battle." She turned to the scrawny tom who had entered her den with Hollyleaf. "What does your Clan say, Tornear?"

The ragged tom curled his lip. "If you're expecting an enthusiastic agreement, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Leopardstar," he growled. "I can't agree to anything without the consent of my leader."

"That's only natural," Leopardstar countered, her eyes hard. "But my Clan will do nothing until we're promised something in return."

The ThunderClan she-cat Hollyleaf's eyes opened wide. "You won't do it for the good of the Clans?" she demanded, unsheathing her claws into the soft soil. "What about loyalty to the warrior code?"

"Where in the code does it say RiverClan have to bend to ThunderClan's will?" Graymist hissed furiously. "We aren't Firestar's kittypets!"

"Graymist," Leopardstar warned.

The pale tabby sat back down, her tail tip twitching, but didn't say anything else. Her neighbor, Pouncetail, smoothed her shoulder fur comfortingly.

"Hollyleaf, the warrior code says nothing about us being forced to help the other Clans." Leopardstar's voice was calm, but the fur was bristling along her spine.

_Graymist is right, _Stormflight thought. _We don't have to risk our cats for ThunderClan and WindClan's sakes._

"What about the Great Battle?" another WindClan cat—this one a ginger tom, demanded, glaring openly at Leopardstar.

"You bring up the Great Battle?" Reedwhisker asked incredulously. "It's been _seasons, _Weaselfur!"

"And _we _were still the ones that helped _you,_" Minnowtail hissed, her kit-soft fur fluffed up with hostility.

Weaselfur twitched his tail and said nothing.

"The Great Battle?" Stormflight asked Copperstripe in a whisper.

"The battle between ThunderClan and WindClan," he explained under his breath. "Onestar asked for RiverClan's help against ThunderClan and ShadowClan."

"Well, who won?"

"No one." Seeing the confused look on her face, Copperstripe continued with, "The sun blocked out the moon. Every cat took it as a sign that the battle was unjust."

"The sun blocked out the moon?" Stormflight asked, shocked.

"Hush!" Mintfur hissed, turning around to glare at them.

Stormflight fell into a resentful silence, and perked her ears to listen to the rest of the argument.

"ShadowClan are going to strike soon!" a black WindClan she-cat hissed. "We don't have time to go back to camp! Make your choice!" Each word was separate and distinct.

Silence followed her words.

Finally, Icewing stepped forward from Leopardstar's side. "Watch your tongue, Nightcloud," she spat. "You aren't in your own camp, remember? Here, you will respect Leopardstar and this Clan!"

Nightcloud let out an petulant snarl.

"Not here," a gray tom hissed softly to her. "Wait."

The she-cat glared at him, then her gaze softened and she stepped back.

Stormflight watched Leopardstar's face carefully, waiting to see what she was going to say. "Do you think we'll go to battle?" she whispered to Larkfall at her side.

Larkfall didn't respond right away. "Do...do you think he knew?"

"Who?" Stormflight asked warily.

"Streamclaw. Do you think...he knew he was going to die in that battle with ThunderClan?"

"Larkfall." Stormflight pressed her pelt into her sister's. "Don't think like this. Please." She felt Copperstripe's gaze on her, but all that mattered to her right now was her sister.

Leopardstar was shaking her head slowly. "I can't see any point in this battle," she mewed bluntly. "We have our own troubles to deal with." Her gaze was cold as she stared down the patrols.

"So...you won't help us?" Tornear demanded.

"No. RiverClan have nothing to gain from this but wounds that we cannot afford this close to leaf-bare."

Tornear twisted his lips. "So you're going to stay here like cowards?"

At once, Reedwhisker, Beechfur, and Graymist got to their paws and faced down the enemy warriors.

"Where are your brains, rabbit-face?" Graymist hissed furiously. "You're in _our _camp!"

"Stand down! We'll let them leave in peace!" Leopardstar pressed in among her warriors. "I will send a patrol to lead you back to the WindClan border. Don't enter out territory again." She let her threat hang in the air.

Hollyleaf raked her eyes around the clearing, alighting on Larkfall. Stormflight watched, confused, as the ThunderClan warrior cast a frustrated look at the white she-cat.

"Beechfur, if you, Mallowtail, Pebblefur, and Pricklefang could escort them to the border, please." Leopardstar stepped back, watching with narrowed eyes as the cats filed out of the camp entrance.

"We won't forget this!" Weaselfur yowled, lashing his claws in the air. "You wait until RiverClan needs _us! _Then you'll regret this day!"

"RiverClan can deal with whatever any cat throws at us!" Beetlewing yowled in return, puffing out his chest. "We're the strongest Clan in the forest!"

Weaselfur just cast him a withering look as he followed behind Nightcloud and the scrawny gray-black tom.

"StarClan, that was close!" Copperstripe heaved a sigh of relief. "Just when my scars had just healed."

"Aw, come on, Copperstripe!" Nettleclaw nudged his friend, his eyes glittering. "You can say honestly that you didn't want to fight?"

"Well..." Copperstripe trailed off, shrugging good-naturedly. "It would have felt good to tear some ShadowClan fur."

Stormflight scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Toms!" She waited for Larkfall to add a comment, turning to look at her sister curiously when she didn't answer.

Larkfall's eyes were distant again, filled with a confusing mixture of emotions.

Stormflight drew in a breath and held it, warring with herself. Letting it out in a sharp exhale, Stormflight mewed softly, "Larkfall, I need to be honest with you."

The white she-cat looked up, her eyes dull. "What? What is it?"

"Can we talk over there?" She motioned to a secluded section of the camp where the wall had overgrown, creating a small curtain from the rest of the Clan. Padding over, she hurried to sit down and drop her gaze. _What is she going to say? Will she hate me for it? _She quickly dismissed the idea—Larkfall would never be so petty.

Larkfall followed slower, her paws dragging. "Squirrelflight just blurted it out like it was old news," she mewed sadly. "She didn't even seem upset that one of her own Clanmates was a murdering piece of fox-dung!"

Stormflight's heart was hammering inside her chest. _You have to tell her, _she told herself. _She deserves to know. _"Larkfall...I..."

"I know," Larkfall mewed. "I'm upset about it, too. Otterheart should have told us a long time ago."

"That's not it," Stormflight said quickly, swallowing hard. Her throat felt like it was coated with sand.

Larkfall looked up. "Don't worry," she mewed kindly. "We'll deal with this. We'll tell Leopardstar about it and—"

"I've known about it since the WindClan battle," she rushed out, wanting to get the horrible words out as quickly as possible.

Her sister seemed not to understand. "What? Known about what?"

"Streamclaw's...death. I overheard it when Mistyfoot was battling with Spiderleg. She...she was yowling at him."

Larkfall blinked rapidly, sitting down hard. "You...you knew all this time? You never told me?"

"No," Stormflight whispered. "I didn't want it to hurt you like it hurt me. I knew you'd find out eventually...but I didn't want to be the one to tell you."

"Why...didn't you...didn't you trust me? I'm your _sister!_"

"I know," Stormflight said wretchedly. "I should have told you all those moons ago...but I _couldn't! _Would you have done it? Would you have told me?"

"Yes!" Larkfall was on her paws now, her pale eyes sparking. "We're sisters! We tell each other _everything, _Stormflight!" She narrowed her eyes. "Or at least we _used _to."

"No, Larkfall!" Stormflight felt like her heart was being squeezed by a giant claw—sharp and cutting. "No! I only did it to protect you!"

"I don't need protecting!" she snapped. "I can look out for myself!" She turned around without another word plunged away, leaving Stormflight with nothing but the memory of her scent and the look in her pale blue eyes when she had told her the terrible truth.

* * *

**And this, my readers, is what you call the complication! I, myself, thought this chapter was pretty dang nifty, so I hope you liked it, too. Looks like you're up at bat again, Fwirly-kohai. Wasn't I delightfully evasive with most of your points?**

**Let me say this now so there's no misunderstanding: RiverClan are _not _ThunderClan. Fwirl and I have discussed in depth the terribleness of the Erins' warped ideas about ThunderClan and namely the King of Mary Sues/Gary Stus Firestar. Mr. "Hey! Let's let _aaaaanyone _who wants to join our Clan, kay? Oh, and I'm perfect, so all of you will naturally go along with what I say and hero-worship me, too, alright? Sound good everyone?" **

**Well, I need to go to sleep. That last paragraph proves that. ;)**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	18. Chapter 17

A/N Heeey, everyone! I've been at band camp all week, so now it hurts just to walk. Isn't that great? XD

…

I think I was in the sun too long. T-T

* * *

Larkfall bolted out of the overhanging section of the camp, leaving her sister behind with a hurt and regretful look on her face. _How could she not have told me?_ she wanted to yowl. _After everything we've been through, why wouldn't she tell me?_

Charging out of camp, Larkfall didn't even look behind her as Nettleclaw called her name. _He doesn't know. He can't know; he wouldn't understand. _Gasping and almost sobbing, Larkfall collapsed in a clump of horsetail far enough away from camp that she thought she wouldn't be disturbed, her mind whirling. _She…she didn't tell me, _pounded through her head like the continuous beat of paws through the forest, each time that it repeated making the sentence lose meaning until the words were completely empty.

Stifling the urge to let out another broken sob, Larkfall rolled over and sat up, shaking her pelt to get rid of the clinging leaves and grass. She wished she could dispel her troubled thoughts just as easily, but they still stuck to her like honey caught in her fur.

_Why wouldn't she tell me? _Larkfall asked herself silently, trying to reason out this mess she had found herself in. _She said she wanted to protect me…_The thought made Larkfall angry again, wanting to tear her claws through some cat's pelt. _I can protect myself! Does Stormflight think I'm weak? But…she would never think that! She knows I'm strong…right? I'm definitely strong enough for this. How could she know all these moons and not tell me?_

Larkfall stopped and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

She froze, her mouth still half open as she breathed in the scent around her, then recoiled as she recognized the smell. Standing up slowly, she followed the scent, her paws hardly making a sound as they padded over the ground.

Rounding a large tree, Larkfall stopped abruptly as she saw what she had scented: dogs. They were sleeping under the cover of some overhanging willow branches, their chests slowly lifting and falling with each breath they took. There were three of them; the same three that Larkfall had seen when she had been on that fateful patrol with…Larkfall shook her head quickly, forcefully shoving the thought to the back of her mind.

_I need to hurry back to camp and tell Leopardstar about this_, Larkfall thought, slowly starting to back away.

"Larkfall, there you are!" a familiar voice greeted, stopping Larkfall in her tracks. "I was wondering where you were!"

Stormflight shuffled through the bushes behind Larkfall, a relieved look on her face as she spotted her sister.

"What are you doing here?" Larkfall hissed, a mixed feeling of apprehension because of the dogs and anger at her sister overtaking her.

"I came to find you!" Stormflight exclaimed, taking a step forward and then hesitating. Larkfall glanced behind her at the dogs, but she was hardly paying attention to them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Larkfall asked, her voice breaking on the last word. "I told you when I found out! Didn't you trust me? Didn't you think I should _know _how our father died and about that piece of fox dung who killed him? What's wrong with you?" By now her voice was a hardly suppressed shriek, her eyes sparking with resentment as she watched Stormflight.

"Larkfall, it hurt so much when I found out," Stormflight mewed, her words pained. "I just didn't want you to get hurt like that, too. It felt like…it felt like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I never want anything to hurt you like that, so I…I didn't tell you. Larkfall, you have to believe me; I'm so sorry. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

Larkfall paused, caught between her fury and her love for her sister, who she knew was telling the truth. _That's still no excuse_, a voice in the back of her mind was arguing. _But she's my sister! She was just trying her best to help_, another voice retorted loyally.

Just when Larkfall was about to reply, a low growling sounded from the clearing behind her. She stiffened even as Stormflight did, a panicked look crossing her face.

"Stormflight, wait–" Larkfall started, but was cut off as Stormflight let out a yowl and shot back through the undergrowth.

The pack of dogs instantly turned their heads in Stormflight's direction, their ears pricked and their tongues lolling stupidly. Taking to their paws, they took off in pursuit of Stormflight, Larkfall quickly scrambling into the cover of some brambles to get out of their way as they passed, not even noticing her.

Once they had left, Larkfall crawled out, her breathing as heavy as if she had just been running herself. _What if they catch Stormflight? _Larkfall suddenly thought, alarmed. Her sister had been so frightened, she probably wouldn't think to climb a tree and wait for them to go away. Or worse yet, what if she led them straight to RiverClan's camp, where all of the elders and kits were?

Racing after the scent of the dogs, Larkfall scrambled over roots and through underbrush. Gasping, she skidded to a halt as she scented blood, her own pounding in her ears as she shouldered through a large bush.

The sight in front of her made her catch her breath. Stormflight stood crouched over a bloody pile of fur, the ground churned up all and flecked with blood around them. She looked shaken, but okay, Larkfall noticed with a sigh of relief. Then her eyes really focused on the mound of fur that Stormflight was hunched over.

"Otterheart!" Larkfall screeched, taking shaking paw steps towards her only two family members left. "What…what happened?"

But Stormflight was backing away, her eyes wide and terrified. "It…it wasn't my fault," she whispered, shaking her head slowly. Then she switched her gaze to Larkfall, her eyes becoming focused again. "It was you; this is all your fault! If you hadn't run out of camp like that, Otterheart wouldn't have come after you. It's your fault our mother died!"

Too stunned to speak, Larkfall watched as Stormflight continued to back away before running away through the undergrowth, her dark silver pelt blending in with the shadows.

Larkfall could only watch helplessly until she was completely out of view. Turning to Otterheart, she stumbled towards her until she was standing above her, looking into her sightless eyes. "Otterheart?" she choked out. "Oh, Otterheart!"

Letting out a chilling wail, Larkfall pressed her nose into her mother's fur, the warmth already starting to leave. She wasn't sure how long she crouched there with Otterheart before she heard footsteps approaching. She didn't even move as Nettleclaw gently nudged her and two other warriors sadly, carefully, picked up Otterheart's body.

"Larkfall, I'm so sorry," Nettleclaw murmured, pressing his pelt against hers comfortingly. "If you need anything, I'll always be by your side."

"Do you promise?" Larkfall mumbled, letting her head drop onto his shoulder, her eyes half-open.

"I do," Nettleclaw replied instantly, licking her between the ears.

"Thanks, Nettleclaw," Larkfall mewed distantly, but she could only hear her sister's words ringing in her ears. _It's your fault our mother died!_

---

Nettleclaw led Larkfall back to camp, letting her lean against his shoulder as she watched her mother's body being carried before them. The Clan must have known what had happened ahead of time, because they were all gathered with Leopardstar in front of them, her gaze sad as she watched her dead warrior as she was placed in the center of the clearing.

Taking a step forward, Leopardstar called, "Let all cats gather for a Clan meeting." No one moved; the Clan had already geathered to wish off their fellow warrior and friend.

"Otterheart was a very brave warrior," Leopardstar started, her voice calm, but carrying a great weight to them. "Her loyalty to RiverClan could never be doubted. She was always concerned about others, and took care of every cat around her. She was a great mother, mate, warrior, and friend." Leopardstar lay down in front of Otterheart's body, her paws before her and her nose pressed into her dead warrior's cold fur.

Then she stood and stepped back, allowing others to come forward. Larkfall noticed in some secluded section of her mind that Stormflight was nowhere to be seen.

Leopardstar walked over to where Larkfall stood with Nettleclaw, her steps even, but heavy. "Larkfall, you and Stormflight will have your silent vigil tomorrow night. For tonight, you can sit vigil for Otterheart."

"Thank you, Leopardstar," Larkfall muttered, but her voice was distant and her eyes were unfocused.

Leopardstar paused before murmuring, "I'm sorry for your loss." She seemed to want to say more, for she opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it and left Larkfall alone with Nettleclaw, calling her deputy to her and retreating into her den.

Larkfall stepped forward towards her mother's body and lay down heavily, pressing her nose against Otterheart's cold fur and closing her eyes tightly. She kept picturing the kind warrior smiling as she told her how proud she was that she was a warrior now; scolding her for sneaking off to the battle that seemed ages ago; her laughing as she heard how Larkfall had fallen into the stream on her first attempt to catch a fish.

Larkfall let out a sob as memories flooded into her, blocking out all else. What would she do without Otterheart, the one cat besides Stormflight she had always been able to confide in? Without her, nothing would be the same. At least when Streamclaw had died, she hadn't known her father.

Streamclaw…had Otterheart known about his death, too? Had she been keeping that a secret from her as well? Larkfall shook her head, trying to forget everything, but the questions still kept pouring into her, submerging her in their depths. Who else knew about Streamclaw's death? Who else had been lying to her all this time? How could she tell who was being honest and who was lying? Who could she trust?

Glancing at Nettleclaw, Larkfall couldn't help but wonder if he was lying to her, just like everyone else. He seemed nice enough, but was it all an act? Was he just trying to keep her in the dark? Or even use her for his own gains? Or was his personality true and kind? What was real and what were lies?

_Streamclaw, I don't know what to do anymore_, Larkfall thought, looking up dully at the stars of Silverpelt far above her. _How can I act like nothing happened? But how can I take revenge for you the way I am now?_

Sighing, Larkfall dropped her gaze and met Stormflight's across the clearing. She was hesitating on the edge of camp, looking nervous. However, as soon as Larkfall looked at her, she abruptly turned and walked away, disappearing from view.

A flare of Larkfall's old anger ignited in her stomach as she turned her head away in disgust. _I'll show her_, she thought. _I'll show them all. They can't lie to me and get away with it. I'll expose them…all of them for what they really are! And then…then they'll pay for making us suffer._

* * *

A/N My friends, a great thing has happened–well, two things actually. The first is that I updated sooner than normal. The second is that Shadow and I have finally formed a plot, and it is one that we think you'll like…or not. }:D

I think Shadow is going to explain Otterheart's death in more detail; I was just doing it from Larkfall's view, and she kinda missed it. :P


	19. Chapter 18

**D'you think this update was quick enough? ;)**

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Stormflight sat on the bank of one of the main streams that fed the RiverClan camp, feeling herself shiver. Her eyes stared at nothing as the moments flashed behind her glazed eyes, as vivid and terrifying as they had been mere moments ago.

_"Dogs! Attack!" she had yowled, her heart hammering in her chest as she fled through the undergrowth, imagining the hot breath of the pursuing dogs on her tail and the feeling of their teeth meeting in her fur. A distant portion of her mind wondered frantically if Larkfall was alright. _She was angry at me, _she thought, panicky. _If anything ever happened to her..._ She trailed off, not wanting to ever think of that scenario._

_As the territory turned soft under her paws, she recognized that she was getting closer and closer to the camp. _No! They'll kill everyone in the Clan! _She swerved violently, her claws digging into the loose soil as she changed course. _

_Hazarding a glance over her shoulder, she saw the mad-lit eyes of the largest dog—a fierce, brown brute—narrowed with hatred. In the same heartbeat, it stuck out its tongue and licked its curled lips, its jaws slavering. _

Oh, StarClan, no! _she wanted to yowl, forcing her eyes back to the path ahead, trying to lead them away from the camp and towards the lake. Maybe she could lose them in the water—after all, they looked far too awkward on their paws to be able to manage swimming._

_Barely keeping a terrified whimper stifled, Stormflight launched herself forward, nearly letting out a screech of terror as a sudden motion blurred in her side-vision. "Otterheart!" she gasped, almost losing her footing. "What are you doing here! Get away!"_

_The brown she-cat's green eyes were hard with tension. "No! I'll lead them away—you go! Go tell the Clan before they kill us all!"_

This is all Larkfall's fault, _Stormflight thought poisonously, her lungs beginning to burn with the strain of outrunning the dogs. _

_"We'll leap over the stream," Otterheart was saying, her voice stunted with lack of air. _

_Stormflight let out a hiss. "There's no time for that! They'll kill us!" A large willow tree moved into view—the very same she had hidden in when she thought she had scented the dogs before. "Up there!" she screeched, already turning._

_She didn't see the root buckled up out of the surface until it was too late._

_Her paw caught on the twisted root, wrenching her forward and off her paws. She landed in a heap of silver fur matted with dust, the panic that had threatened to overwhelm her now making her blind with terror. "Otterheart!" she screamed. "Run!"_

_But her mother didn't run. Doubling around, she sank her teeth into Stormflight's scruff, arching her neck and sending her daughter soaring into a thick clump of brambles, out of view of the dogs that now advanced upon her. Otterheart unsheathed her claws, crouching down into a defensive posture. "You will _not _touch my kit," she snarled, sounding more threatening than Stormflight could have ever dreamed she could have. _

_The main brown dog stopped short, its face contorted in hate and anger. The two other dogs flanked it, their eyes fixed on Otterheart with a malicious intentness. _

_"Otterheart!"_

_"Be quiet, Stormflight," Otterheart snapped. "This battle is mine."_

_As if understanding her words, the brown dog lowered its head, curling its lip to reveal a sharp row of yellow teeth. It took a step forward, then another. _

_Otterheart let out a fierce yowl, displaying her claws to the dog._

_There was a flash of brown fur, and Stormflight, to her shame, looked away. _Otterheart...Mother! _She wanted to cry the words, but she couldn't find her voice through her fear._

_A sharp screech of pain lanced through the woods, piercing Stormflight to the bone. She buried her head in her paws, the whole time letting out a low keen. _StarClan! StarClan, help her!

_But it was too late._

_It was finished._

_Stormflight crouched in the brambles, her shoulders tight and trembling as she fought to keep silent. "Mother," she mouthed, seeming to lack the air needed to make the words. What had happened? Was Otterheart alright?_

_There was the sound of paw steps, too loud to belong to a cat, and then a loud sniffing sound. When the brambles shook under the inspection of the dog, Stormflight started so badly she lifted a cloud of dust as she scraped backwards. Seeming to not notice her, the sound faded into the distance, leaving behind an unnatural, terrible silence._

_Each heartbeat seemed like an eternity as Stormflight crouched there, unable to unlock her muscles to move. Her breathing was shallow and quick, and she couldn't seem to close her eyes. "Otter...Otterheart," she whispered at last, her throat dry. Raising her voice, she repeated herself: "Otterheart?"_

_The was no answer._

_Moving slowly like an old cat, Stormflight crept forward and poked her nose out of the bush, not daring to go any farther with the threat of an ambush looming. She let out a cry when she saw the prone form of her mother lying in a pool of her own blood. "Mother!" Forgetting the terror in an instant, Stormflight wrenched her pelt free of the clinging thorns and rushed to her mother's side, lifting a paw to press against her._

_Otterheart's pelt was laced with bleeding slashes, her throat an unrecognizable dark stain on her torn fur. Her tail was bent in half like a broken branch, and one ear was reduced to nothing but ribbons._

_Shaking all over, Stormflight lifted a paw and gently prodded her mother's flank. "Otterheart? Otterheart can you hear me?"_

_The dark brown she-cat stirred under her daughter's touch, opening her green eyes to slits. "Where...?"_

_"Dogs," Stormflight whispered for an answer. "You saved me." _

_Otterheart's chest heaved as she fought for breath. "Of course...little one. You're my kit." Her eyes slowly focused on Stormflight, and she could see the pain that her mother was suffering in those eyes. "I...I _had _to."_

_"No," Stormflight mewed wretchedly. "You should have climbed the tree. You should have saved yourself!"_

_But her mother was shaking her head. "No, no. You'll...understand one day...when you have your...own kits." Her face twisted in pain as she tried to get to her paws. "It looks like I won't be there to see them."_

_"Don't." Stormflight felt like her heart was breaking. "Don't say that! Of course you'll be there! Where else would you be?"_

_"You and your sister are so...so much like your father. I...see him in you...every day." Otterheart's green eyes were fading even as Stormflight watched. "Take care of her...you're all each other has now."_

_"No," Stormflight disagreed fiercely. "We have you." She pressed her nose into her mother's fur, taking in the familiar scent she remembered from her kithood. "Don't do this—don't leave me, Mother!"_

_"I won't," Otterheart breathed. "I'll always be there...watching over you. Your father and I...will always be there when you need us." She closed her eyes, a look of peace coming over her face. "Streamclaw...you waited for me," she murmured, taking a deep breath, before settling back down, her spirit flying to the stars._

Pulling herself back to the present, Stormflight looked down at her paws, still sticky with her mother's blood. She couldn't bring herself to wash it off.

"Larkfall," she whispered. "Why did I say those things to you? Otterheart told me...we're all we have left. We need to stay together."

She stared down into the calm water, seeing her own reflection. A flash of resentment flooded through her. "I'm such a coward," she spat. "I ran away when I should have fought. If it weren't for me, Otterheart—" She snapped off, not wanting to say the words out loud. She knew that she had spoken in anger to her sister, but she couldn't shoulder all the burden herself.

"Stormflight?

"Go away, Copperstripe," she growled hoarsely, not moving her gaze from her own green eyes—Otterheart's color. "I want to be alone."

She heard him shuffle his paws awkwardly. "Nettleclaw and his patrol just brought Otter—your mother's body back to camp. I've come to bring you home."

"Leave me alone!" she hissed, closing her eyes and digging her claws into the soft mud. "Just...just leave me alone."

His scent grew stronger as he padded up to her, resolutely sitting down. "Leopardstar ordered me to bring you back," he said, breaking the silence.

Stormflight growled. "So that's the only reason you're here?" she spat angrily, feeling a bitter pit of disappointment join the sorrow that sat like a weight in her belly. "On _orders_?"

Hesitating slightly, Copperstripe scooted closer until his pale brown pelt mingled in her dark silver fur. "I'm sorry about your mother," he murmured. "I felt the same when I lost Silverpaw."

"Your brother?" Stormflight remembered from when she was barely old enough to be aware that Copperstripe's brother had been killed by an adder.

"Yes. I fell into depression afterwards." His amber eyes grew distant as Stormflight watched his expression in the reflection of the water. "But then I realized that...that's not what he would have wanted. Silverpaw would have wanted me to move on with my life." He lifted his gaze to meet hers levelly, his eyes calm.

Stormflight dropped his gaze quickly. "But Otterheart..."

"She's in StarClan now...with your father," he added, almost as an after thought, his eyes fixed on her face as if he was worried he had upset her.

Stormflight didn't say anything. _Is she disappointed in me? She wouldn't have acted like it before...but now that she knows everything..._

"We need to get back to camp." Copperstripe got to his paws, shaking out his short tabby fur. "Are you coming, Stormflight?"

Looking up into his amber eyes, Stormflight _wanted _to believe that he understood her. He had talked about his brother with her—something he normally avoided. Getting to her paws and falling in step with him, Stormflight wondered if she could trust him with Larkfall's and her secret—that her father was murdered. _I'll have to wait and see, but for now..._She paused, closing her eyes. _Larkfall is the most important cat to me now. She's all I have left. _

Copperstripe led the way into the camp, but Stormflight held back. She didn't want to confrotn her sister...not yet. _She'll blame me, _she thought, her heart sick. _This is all my fault. All my fault. _She closed her eyes against the pain, taking in a sharp breath.

Copperstripe lingered behind, but he clearly didn't know what to do. "Do you want me to get Mothwing?"

"No, no," she gasped. "I don't need anyone." Looking into the clearing, she saw that Otterheart's body was already laid out, a flash of white fur next to it. _Larkfall._

As if she had called her name, Larkfall looked up and met Stormflight's gaze, something flickering in her pale blue eyes that made Stormflight look away, running back out into the woods and sitting down hard. "Go on without me," she told Copperstripe.

"No," he said simply, coming back to sit next to her. "Not when you're like this."

"Like what, exactly?" Stormflight shot to her paws, glaring down at him, feeling rage build up like a wave in her. "You don't know me, Copperstripe! Don't think that you do! You'll _never _know me!"

Copperstripe winced but didn't move. "Go ahead—say what you need."

Stormflight let out a furious screech, repelling the impulse to rake her claws down his ear. "I told you to leave me alone already," she growled sharply. "I don't need you."

"Is that so?" he asked, his tone scathingly questioning.

"Yeah, it's so!" She turned her back on him, wanting to push him away. _I won't hurt anyone like I hurt Otterheart, _she vowed. _Like I hurt Larkfall. _"You're nothing to me."

"Am I supposed to believe that?" His voice was suddenly strained, as if he were nervous.

Stormflight turned to see his tail swishing behind him, and he looked away self-consciously. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, feeling the familiar sensation in her belly that she got when she was around Copperstripe nowadays.

He looked torn, dropping his gaze to his paws.

Stormflight watched him for a moment more before turning away with a scoff. "I told you: I don't care about you." She closed her eyes as she felt the hurt flood through her from her own words.

Soft paw steps alerted her that he had moved closer. "And what if," he murmured, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "I don't believe that?"

Stormflight's breath caught in her chest. _Does he mean what I think he does? _"You're arrogant!" she accused, pulling away from him, feeling her ears burn. "Don't presume to know what I'm thinking."

Copperstripe's eyes were narrowed. "Are you telling me I'm lying?"

Stormflight ground her teeth together. "You're my Clanmate."

"And is that all?" he challenged, his amber eyes suddenly intense. "All you care about me is that of a Clanmate?"

"Yes," she said firmly, turning away, feeling her heart sting. If she had feelings for Copperstripe, she hadn't even accepted them herself. She wasn't going to throw herself on this tom like some sort of desperate kittypet—she would keep her pride. "That's it. I'd like to go and sit vigil for my mother, if that's okay with _you._" She brushed past him, too afraid to look into his eyes.

He stood there stiffly, not moving even when Stormflight's pelt brushed his.

_No more, _she whispered inside, shunting the pain to the back of her mind. _Not ever again. I...I don't deserve to feel close to anyone ever again after what I did. _

Otterheart's body was cold under Stormflight's touch as she settled down next to Larkfall, too afraid to press her pelt against her sister's.

"She's gone," Larkfall said, so softly Stormflight wasn't sure she was even talking to her.

"She's in StarClan," she replied in return, still hesitant. "Larkfall, I—"

"I know," Larkfall cut her off. "This is no one's fault." Her voice was tense, but she didn't meet Stormflight's gaze.

_She's hurting as much as I am, _she realized, scooting over enough to press against Larkfall's flank. "We're all we have now." As she said the words, her mind winged back to Otterheart's last moments as the dark brown she-cat said the exact same ones.

Larkfall leaned forward and pressed her nose into Otterheart's cold fur. "She needs to be avenged," she mewed suddenly.

"She does. We'll take care of _that,_" Stormflight vowed darkly.

Larkfall sighed but didn't respond.

Stormflight bent her head and gently licked her sister's ears, happy that _they_ at least were on equal footing. _We will have our revenge.

* * *

_

**Hum, hum, don't you love angst? ^_^ I know I do. :P**

**Our plot's already rolling now...brainstorming is a gift from the heavens, I tell ya. XD We went from happy lovey-dovey plot to dark/mysterious. It's spectacular. ^_^**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	20. Chapter 19

A/N Sorry for the wait, everyone; I've been completely obsessed with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles lately. –blissful sigh– I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves depressing, yet romancy things. :D

Yeah, so I was going to post this yesterday, but then FFnet failed me and wouldn't let me log in. :(

School starts the tenth, or tomorrow, for me (T-T), so updates from me might be even slower in coming than usual. Depressing, right? I'll try to update as fast as I can while keeping up with my other stories, but I'm just warning you guys now.

* * *

Larkfall sat silently in front of the camp entrance, her ears perked attentively and her tail twitching at her paws. A veil of midnight darkness covered the RiverClan camp, casting upon it also a heavy and suffocating silence. There wasn't a single breeze to ruffle the leaves of the trees, and the gurgling of the stream was barely a soft murmur in the background.

She felt this scene fitted her perfectly: everything looked so peaceful, as if nothing was wrong at all; but beneath the image, there was a dark and lonely soul desiring revenge and destruction.

Having gone through all the possibilities in her mind, Larkfall had decided that starting with WindClan was the best way to go about her revenge. Right now, WindClan and ThunderClan were allies; if she took them away, and somehow managed to make ShadowClan befriend RiverClan, they could take out ThunderClan in one hit.

It was a perfect plan, but there were flaws. For instance, how could she make Leopardstar go out to fight against WindClan without a very good reason? True, they had shown open enmity last time they had been here, but that didn't mean they were stupid enough to attack when they were already getting ready for a fight with ShadowClan. She wondered what they were fighting about, but dismissed the idea as one that was meaningless to her at the moment.

The other thing that worried her was how she could make ShadowClan ally themselves with RiverClan. They were stubborn, and wouldn't want to make an alliance with a Clan for no reason. Narrowing her eyes, Larkfall wondered if she could get Dawnclaw, Tigerheart, and Flameleap to help her. They had been keeping in touch through the Gatherings, so maybe they would try to convince Blackstar to listen to RiverClan's offer…if Larkfall could get them to make it.

After that, Larkfall would need a reason for RiverClan and ShadowClan to attack ThunderClan. She could always frame them for stealing prey or something of the likes, then go to the battle and kill Spiderleg under the pretense of an accident. That would only leave one cat left to deal with…

A sudden rustle near the edge of camp made Larkfall and Stormflight, who sat on the other side of the clearing, jump to their paws, fur bristling in alarm.

"It's just us," Reedwhisker announced softly, shouldering his way through the barrier of reeds that surrounded the camp. Graymist, Mintfur, and Beetlewing followed him.

Sighing with relief that no one was attacking the camp, Larkfall sat back down. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed the patrol returning.

"You're doing well on your silent vigil," Mintfur purred approvingly to Stormflight, who had remained standing. "Keep it up." With hardly a backwards glance, the patrol headed to the warriors' den for a well-deserved sleep.

Larkfall had to put a serious effort into making her fur lie flat as Stormflight returned to her post. _Why is _she_ the only one getting praised?_ Larkfall thought angrily. _I've been out here just as long as her and doing my best too, but why was Stormflight the only one to get complimented? It's not as if Mintfur couldn't have included me too!_

_It's because they're all the same_, Larkfall answered herself bitterly, raking her claws through the grass in front of her. _They're all trying to trick me, make me think they're on my side. But they're not. I can't trust anyone. _Casting a quick sideways glance towards the dark silver form of her sister, she added, _Especially not Stormflight._

---

Dawn's early rays seeped slowly into the camp, covered for the most part by heavy gray clouds. Larkfall's eyes felt as heavy as the clouds overheard she was so tired.

"Stormflight, Larkfall, you're done," Icewing told them smoothly. "Why don't you go get some sleep?"

"Okay," Stormflight agreed readily, lurching to her paws. Larkfall could tell that her sister was just as tired as she was, if not even more so. However, an idea had come to her last night; one she could use to make things go the way she wanted.

"Icewing, can I please speak with you for a moment?" Larkfall asked politely in her soft, innocent voice. Until she knew that she could trust this cat, she had to use the same disguise she used with everyone else. "If you're not too busy, I mean. It'll only take a minute."

"What is it?" Icewing asked absently, scanning the camp.

"Oh, no, we can't speak here," Larkfall protested meekly. "It's…something private." She pretended to fidget her paws nervously, peeking up at the deputy with embarrassed eyes.

Icewing gave her a suspicious look, then waved her tail for Larkfall to go on. "This way," Larkfall mewed, turning to lead the way out of camp. Icewing followed close behind, and they didn't stop until Larkfall was absolutely sure they were a safe enough distance away from the camp.

Halting, she sat down and faced Icewing, who took a seat opposite her. "Well, what is it?" she asked. "Why did we need to come all the way out here?"

"Leopardstar is getting older," Larkfall started casually, acting as if she had not heard Icewing's questions. "She isn't as strong as she used to be, and I wonder if that will affect the decisions she makes. She's still stuck in the traditions of when the Clans lived in the old forest, too; times have changed, and what was right there no longer holds true _here_, in the place we live now."

Icewing was slowly nodding, her eyes bright as she listened attentively to Larkfall speak. When she stopped, the deputy exclaimed, "Exactly! We need someone new in power, someone who knows what they're doing."

"I completely agree," Larkfall replied. "That's why I was thinking, for the good of RiverClan, Leopardstar needs to step down."

Icewing frowned. "She'd never do that; she's too proud."

"That pride will be the end of us all," Larkfall sighed, shaking her head sadly. "I think that maybe she needs a little…push."

"What do you mean?" Icewing asked warily, but there was a cool, calculating look in her eyes.

"I mean that her time is over; if she won't resign, then we need to get rid of her, just like the old ways," Larkfall explained. "For the good of the Clan."

"You want to kill Leopardstar?" Icewing whispered, though the surprise in her voice was less than the interested attention.

"For the good of the Clan," Larkfall repeated slowly. "We have to do this so that RiverClan doesn't fall apart. So that _all _of the Clans don't fall apart. Once Leopardstar is gone, you'll become leader. You can lead RiverClan to greatness that it hasn't seen in seasons; you'll definitely rule better than your predecessor."

"How do you plan to do it?" Icewing inquired.

"I have a plan," Larkfall answered simply. "One where you and I will be the only witnesses to her death. The Clan would never think that two of its warriors would lie to them; they'll just think it was all an accident."

"What's in it for you?" Icewing asked suspiciously. "I can't believe you would do this with nothing for you to gain."

_Clever_, Larkfall noted with a glimmer of respect for the older she-cat. "I want you to make me the new deputy," Larkfall replied truthfully. "Of course, I'll need an apprentice before that time comes, but I'm sure you could arrange for that, no?"

"_You?_ The deputy?" Icewing asked incredulously. "You're hardly a warrior, and you think the Clan will accept you as the deputy?"

"That is why we need to wait awhile before we put this plan into action," Larkfall explained. "I need to prove myself as a warrior. Then, no one will be able to object to me."

"Maybe," Icewing conceded, though her eyes were doubtful. But still, she hadn't left yet or called Larkfall a traitor, so everything was still fine.

"Then do we have a deal?" Larkfall asked sweetly, flashing a smile.

Icewing hesitated, staring at her paws for a long time before she looked up and met Larkfall's eyes. "Yes," she answered, her voice strong and certain.

"Good," Larkfall replied. "We'd better get back to camp now; it looks like it will rain soon and I'm sure someone will be wondering where you are."

"You're right," Icewing agreed, and stood up. Turning, she led the way back to camp through the undergrowth, Larkfall trailing behind at a respectful distance.

_Perfect_, Larkfall thought, hiding a triumphant smile from the deputy. _That was almost _too _easy. For all of their deceit, these cats sure are simple-minded. You just have to flatter them a little and make them believe what they're doing is "right" and they'll do whatever you want. Everything is going according to plan._

_---_

"Larkfall, there you are!" Nettleclaw exclaimed as she and Icewing entered the camp. His already troubled gaze turned even more so as he saw the deputy, then turned to Larkfall. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is just fine," Larkfall assured him, her voice as innocent-sounding as it always was when she spoke to someone who had yet to ally themselves with her. She had debated whether or not Nettleclaw could be trusted, but in the end, she had decided to just wait and see.

"I'm glad you didn't get caught outside of camp when it's about to storm," Nettleclaw told her. "Come on, let's go inside the warriors' den; that's where almost everyone is. Actually, some cats have had to move to the empty apprentices' den because the warriors' den is too full."

Larkfall purred in amusement, and Nettleclaw smiled. Inside the warriors' den, about half of the warriors had gathered. Most were sleeping, curled up in their warm nests, but others were sitting and speaking softly with their friends.

Weaving her way to her nest, Larkfall practically collapsed into it. After spending all night on silent vigil, then convincing Icewing to do what she wanted had left her exhausted.

"Hey, where've you been?" Stormflight asked sleepily, raising her head to look at her sister.

"I just went to look for any signs of dogs with Icewing," Larkfall lied smoothly.

"What?" Stormflight asked, alarmed. "Just the two of you?"

"We didn't go very far," Larkfall assured her sister. "Just to make sure they weren't too close to the camp."

"Oh…" Stormflight replied, but she still looked concerned. Larkfall had to hold back a sneer of disbelief; like this cat could ever really be concerned about her. She had accused her of killing their mother; if she really cared, she would've never done something like that.

Instead, Larkfall kept a kind and caring face, licking her sister over the ears comfortingly. _This mask…I will wear it until the day that I have had my revenge._

Outside, the wind was howling fiercely; more so than Larkfall had ever remembered it doing. There was some rain as well, but mostly just the wind that drove the leaves off of the trees outside and sent them spiraling everywhere. More cats sped inside the safety of the den, each dripping wet with their fur ruffled to make them look twice as big as normal.

A silence fell around the den as they saw how strong the storm was outside. Somewhere near the front of the den, Graymist was complaining that she could feel the wind through a hole in the wall of the den. Water began seeping through as well, dripping constantly on the miserable cats inside.

Though even as the storm worsened, another idea began to lay itself out in Larkfall's mind.

---

The storm didn't lessen until early that evening. When the wind finally abated, the Clan trickled out into the clearing to survey the damage. Branches, leaves, twigs, and broken reeds littered the ground all around, even lying on top of the dens. The Clan was gathering into groups and muttering, casting quick glances all around them.

"Let all cats gather for a Clan meeting," Leopardstar yowled, standing in front of her den. Icewing stood by her side, Mothwing right next to her. A hush fell over the already assembled Clan as they waited for their leader to speak.

"Is any cat injured?" Leopardstar asked. When no one spoke, she nodded, as if to herself. "I'm not sure why such a strong storm has occurred, but we have surpassed much harder things before; this will not deter us as we start to rebuild the camp."

"What if it was a sign from StarClan?" Larkfall asked timidly.

"What?" Leopardstar demanded, snapping her gaze to the young warrior. "Why would you say that?"

"Well…" Larkfall pretended to hesitate, feeling everyone's gaze burn into her pelt. "Isn't it strange that there wasn't much rain? It was mostly wind destroying the camp. _Wind. Destroying. _What if StarClan is trying to tell us that we should attack WindClan?"

"That's absurd," Leopardstar mewed immediately. However, the cats were already whispering among themselves, questioning this theory. Who else but StarClan could make such a strong storm? Were they being punished, or warned?

Larkfall quickly caught Icewing's eye, but made it look as if she was simply averting her gaze from her leader's cold eyes. Icewing, immediately catching on, turned to Mothwing and held a whispered conversation with her.

"I think Larkfall might be right," Icewing suddenly announced, breaking off from her talk with the medicine cat. "WindClan threatened us, and we just let it go by as if it was no big deal. What is StarClan is saying that if we don't attack WindClan first, they'll get the advantage and destroy the camp?"

More murmurs, this time of agreement, rose from the crowd.

"Mothwing, as our medicine cat, what do you think?" Leopardstar asked coolly.

"I…I think that Icewing and Larkfall are right," Mothwing answered nervously.

There was silence as Leopardstar lowered her head, deep in thought. Finally, she looked up again and faced the Clan. "We will attack the WindClan camp at moonhigh tonight!"

_Perfect._

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A/N Bet you didn't see _that _coming, huh? Who would've guessed sweet little Larkkit would turn into a crazy loon who's obsessed with the idea that everybody's out to get her? ^.^

Let me just say, Shadow and I had a lot of fun naming little Flamepaw. We went into this whole conversation about how "Leaping flames!" will totally be the next catchphrase in like 80 years. Instead of "Oh my gosh!" everyone shall exclaim "Leaping flames!" and scoff at the silliness of our time. Don't you just love the craziness? XD


	21. Chapter 20

**I'm sooooooooorry! It's my fault that it's taken so long to update this. You know how it is: school, homework, laziness... But it's done now, so enjoy~**

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"We will attack the WindClan camp at moonhigh tonight!" Leopardstar yowled, her tail lashing behind her irritably.

Stormflight narrowed her eyes as she felt a rush of eagerness flood through her. _Now we'll get them back for threatening us, _she thought, darkly satisfied with her sister's suggestion of a sign from StarClan. _Odd that she would jump straight to that conclusion..._ But Stormflight pushed away the thought, a laugh almost reaching her throat. _As if Larkfall would do _that!

Searching out her sister's gaze, she noticed Copperstripe's amber gaze seared into hers. Curling her lip, she dropped her gaze, ashamed of her weakness. _This is what I get for the death of Otterheart, _she told herself, feeling the familiar ache in her heart when she thought of her mother, already dead and buried alongside her beloved mate and the rest of the former RiverClan warriors.

"We'll need a strong battle patrol," Leopardstar continued. "We aren't sure if ShadowClan have attacked WindClan yet, so we need to be prepared for anything. Icewing, I want you to lead a side attack—you, too, Beechfur. Take four cats each and meet me by the entrance tunnel. We'll strike them before they can attack us!"

Yowls of agreement rose up from the watching Clan, and Stormflight could see the eager gleam in most of their eyes—but not all cats looked confident in this plan.

"Are...are you sure?" Pricklefang mewed cautiously. "I mean, we just told them we wouldn't have anything to do with this battle. What are they going to think if we just up and attack them for apparently no reason but a little storm?"

"Are you doubting StarClan?" Mintfur demanded. "Mothwing has spoken!"

"Maybe she's right, Mintfur," Mallowtail said, her tail flicking nervously. "Maybe we should wait and see for a little while longer."

Graymist scoffed, looking disappointedly at her daughter. "Wait and see until WindClan come themselves and launch an attack on us? Are you mousebrained?"

Mallowtail dropped her gaze quickly, not wanting to look into the hostile eyes of her mother.

"Then it's settled," Icewing said smoothly, stepping out into the group of cats. "I'll take Reedwhisker, Rippletail, Dapplenose, and Larkfall."

Stormflight looked up with some surprise to see her sister pad up to stand side by side with Icewing, her eyes unreadable. _I guess she's not too upset about this battle. _She tried to catch her sister's eye, but the white she-cat seemed focused on what she was doing.

Beechfur's light brown pelt seemed smudgy gray in the dim light that shone between storm clouds. "I'll have Graymist, Mintfur, Robinwing, and Pouncetail on my patrol, if that's alright." He looked up at Leopardstar.

The RiverClan leader nodded slowly, her eyes closed in concentration. "Alright. Then I'll also take a patrol to scout around the area." She opened her amber eyes and stared down her Clan. "Grassfoot and Stormflight, you're the quickest. You'll come with me."

Stormflight felt a jolt of disbelief as she numbly stepped forward. _Quickest? I can barely walk without tripping over my own paws! What's she playing at? _

Grassfoot's white pelt was bristling with excitement. "Wow. We get to be in Leopardstar's patrol!" she squeaked. "Isn't this great, Stormflight?"

"Yeah," Stormflight responded, still not sure. "It's...great."

"Voletooth, you'll be in charge of the camp," said Leopardstar, leaping over to the entrance where the other two patrols already were loitering. "Guard it well in case any WindClan cats slip through our claws."

The dark gray tom nodded seriously, his pelt soon disappearing in the half-light as the patrols made their way out the reed tunnel and into the dark forest.

"I'll lead," Icewing said quickly, already picking up the pace to walk ahead.

Leopardstar's eyes narrowed. "Go on ahead. My patrol and I will be right behind you. You know the plan: you three patrols will attack from different sides. We'll pin the WindClan warriors in their camp like the rabbits they hunt."

"But what about the repercussions?" Grassfoot whispered next to Stormflight. "WindClan will _hate _us for this!"

"Leopardstar already decided, though." Stormflight tried to keep the confusion out of her voice. _Are we really going to attack another Clan because of a little storm? _she asked herself. _Mothwing speaks to StarClan, though...she must know what she's saying. StarClan must approve of this battle. _

Grassfoot still looked uneasy. "I just don't think that attacking WindClan is the best idea," she murmured. "Especially after they came to us for help."

Stormflight rolled her eyes and looked away. "You worry too much," she teased her friend gently. "Everything's going to be fine."

Grassfoot set her jaw and dipped her head slightly. "Maybe."

"We're approaching the WindClan border now." Leopardstar sniffed the air. "I can still detect ThunderClan and ShadowClan scent. It's possible that they're still in the area. We must be careful."

Stormflight nodded silently, her eyes already scanning the dark moorland. She felt a prickle of nervousness as she realized how hard it was too see—the only light came from the waning moon that hung halfway in the sky. She shivered.

"Don't worry," Beechfur murmured, pulling his patrol to a stop next to Leopardstar. "This won't be difficult."

Stormflight nodded at her sister's former mentor, looking past his tawny shoulder to see the pale pelt of her sister, pressed close to Icewing. She narrowed her eyes. _Why are they hanging so close together? _"We're going to attack soon, right?"

Leopardstar nodded, still not looking at her. "Wait for my signal," she mewed softly to Beechfur.

The tabby warrior nodded, motioning for his patrol to sit down and wait.

"Here we go," Grassfoot breathed, getting up to follow after her leader, her white pelt looking pale as ash in the half-light. "The WindClan camp is just over that rise." She pointed out the dim shape with her tail.

"I know," Stormflight responded. "I came here before, remember?" She felt a dull pang of shame when she remembered the time that her and her sister had snuck out of camp to join the battle. _Well, if that hadn't have happened, _she thought, _we would have never learned the truth about Spiderleg. _The tom's face burned in her mind, and she curled her lip, letting her claws unsheathe silently. _If we meet again...you'll be sorry._

"We'll split up here." Leopardstar wheeled around to face the two young warriors. "Grassfoot, take that side. If you see any guards, avoid them. If you see a battle patrol...don't keep it to yourself."

The white she-cat laughed nervously, her green eyes wide. "O-of course, Leopardstar."

The RiverClan leader turned to Stormflight. "You come with me. We'll separate after that, alright?"

There was something in the leader's voice that set Stormflight's pelt on edge. "Okay," she agreed, turning to say goodbye to Grassfoot, but the older warrior had already started to pad away, her pelt slicked back by the wind and her eyes focused. "Good luck," she whispered before turning to pad after her leader.

They walked in silence, Stormflight trailing slightly behind Leopardstar. She felt a little nervous to be alone with her Clan leader—such an important cat in the Clan!—and didn't know what to say.

"I've been wanting to talk to you about something," Leopardstar said unexpectedly.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I wanted to know if you're alright."

Stormflight felt a jolt of surprise. "What?"

Leopardstar looked back over her shoulder. "Your mother," she reminded her gently.

Ice clutched at Stormflight's heart. _Well, I was until you mentioned it again, _she thought bitterly, feeling the creeping grief threaten to overwhelm her. "It's nothing I can't handle," she mewed defensively, trying to save face.

Leopardstar's eyes were pitying. "You know, I once lost someone very dear to me, too. A very dear friend. I understand what you're going through."

Stormflight looked down at her own white paws, flattening her ears. _As if._

"Your mother wouldn't want you to be unhappy, Stormflight."

Scoffing softly, Stormflight twisted her head away. "How would you know what Otterheart would want?"

Leopardstar's voice was sharp when she replied. "She was one of my warriors, remember? I knew her as a good friend."

Stormflight ignored her, looking out across the moorland as she thought about how to reply.

An alarm call split the still air.

"Grassfoot!" Stormflight gasped.

"She must have alerted the guards!" the RiverClan leader hissed. She swore softly. "We have no choice—our sneak attack is ruined."

"What do we do?" Stormflight demanded, her heart filled with panic for her friend.

"We have to attack directly." She turned and raced towards the dip in the ground where the WindClan camp was, her spotted paws pounding over the cold ground. "RiverClan, to me!" she yowled. "Attack!"

Stormflight raced to keep up with her leader, rushing up to run at her side. "What's the strategy?" she called over the blistering wind.

"Direct attack." Leopardstar's voice was grim.

Gulping nervously, Stormflight bounded along a line of sharply-leaved gorse, weaving through the brittle stems and into the WindClan camp, already filled with the scent of fear and battling warriors.

Icewing's patrol had made in into the clearing first, and the white deputy was already fighting blow-to-blow with Dewspots. Dapplenose and Mintfur were shoulder-to-shoulder facing down a pair of tabby WindClan warriors, and Stormflight was close enough to see that they bore fresh wounds from the ShadowClan attack the day previous. _Perfect, _she thought. _It will be easier to defeat them this time._

There was a rush of air and a ear-piercing screech as a ginger blur of fur knocked Stormflight backwards, making her stumble. "Seriously?" he hissed. "We just asked you for help!"

"Too bad then," she snarled back, stepping forward with unsheathed claws. "StarClan is on _our _side!"

The WindClan warrior's eyes widened with shock at the same moment that she hit him, clawing a clump of red fur off of his shoulder, leaving the pink skin underneath exposed and bloody. He yowled in agony and lashed out, but his blow was slow and easy to avoid; Stormflight ducked, raking her claws down the tom's chest and gripping his shoulders until he howled and twisted away, thrashing his way through the gorse and out onto the moor.

Feeling satisfied, Stormflight turned to the battle, surprised to see Larkfall perched atop a dark gray WindClan warrior, shredding his ears with her fangs. As she watched, Larkfall used her weight to pull the tom down, arching her back and slashing her claws down his back, ripping his pelt into ribbons.

_Good job, _she praised internally as she moved forward to cuff a white she-cat under the chin with unsheathed claws; the warrior stumbled back, shocked, as blood began to trail down her neck. _This is too easy._

But by the third fight, Stormflight was getting exhausted. Her blows fell weaker and were aimed terribly. A sharp line of pain down her flank alerted her to another attack from behind. She wheeled, furious, only to see the cream pelt of the ThunderClan she-cat she had battled with so many moons ago in this same camp. "Rosepaw! What are you doing here?!"

"Did you really think we would leave WindClan defenseless?" she hissed in return, taking a step forward and arching her back, a fierce hiss sliding between her teeth. "Especially after you refused to help us. And it's Rose_dawn, _thank you very much."

As she ducked away from the stinging blows of the warrior, Stormflight cast a desperate glance around the clearing, smelling the musky scent of ThunderClan whipped around in the fierce wind. Their darkly-patterned pelts stuck out in the barren camp.

_How is this possible? Have they been here all along? _Just by sight alone, Stormflight could see that RiverClan were outnumbered. "Foxdung!" she spat, launching herself at Rosedawn's chest, but with her heavier weight, she knocked herself off-balance, allowing time for the cream she-cat to slash her claws down Stormflight's side. She hissed in pain, eyes narrowed furiously.

Suddenly the weight was gone from her flanks.

She leapt to her paws, her disbelief turning to fury when she realized who had saved her. "Copperstripe," she spat. "What in StarClan's name are you doing here?"

The light brown tabby tom arched his neck and threw the smaller ThunderClan she-cat with ease, turning back to Stormflight with gleaming amber eyes. "What?" he panted. "No 'thank you?'"

Stormflight glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

Copperstripe twisted his mouth wryly. "Voletooth heard you battling," he explained, still short of breath. "He sent me, Nettleclaw, and Beetlewing to investigate." He laughed hollowly as he gestured to the camp with his tail. "Looks like it was a good thing we came."

"Thanks," she mewed bluntly, turning her face away—as if she deserved to have him save her, with everything she had done.

She felt his gaze scorch her pelt. "No problem." His tail reached out and trailed down the side of her face. "You're bleeding."

She raised a paw to her cheek, alarmed when she pulled it back and the white fur was stained scarlet. "It's nothing," she said quickly. "A scratch." She forced down the flutter her stomach had made when he had touched her. _Stop it, _she scolded herself. _Mind on the battle._

"No!"

The noise—it could only be described as a scream—shattered the turmoil-filled air.

"Larkfall!" Stormflight gasped, feeling like her legs were going to collapse. "Larkfall! Where is she? I have to find her!" She tore off, eyes searching out for the brown-speckled pelt of her sister. _What if she's injured or horribly wounded..._With a short mewl, she shut the thoughts down abruptly. She wouldn't allow herself to think of it. "Larkfall!"

"Stormflight, _wait!_" Copperstripe tried to follow her, but a passing tabby warrior tackled him, pinning him to the ground.

"Copper—" she started to yowl, but stopped herself. He could take care of himself. She turned to press her way through the gorse.

"Not you! It can't be you!" Her sister's voice was close now, just outside the camp. Stormflight wrenched her way through the clinging stems, thorns biting into her pelt, and onto the top of the rise. The wind slicked back her long-haired pelt, driving into her eyes and pushing her whiskers against her face.

Larkfall was standing rigidly, her shoulders tight and shaking.

"Larkfall!" Stormflight was deliriously relived to see her white pelt unmarked save for the few usual battle wounds. "What's wrong?" she demanded, pressing her pelt into her sister's. "Are you okay?" Her voice trailed off when she saw what Larkfall was staring at, ice freezing her paws to the ground.

She had only seen this cat once before in her life, but there was no mistaking his musky ThunderClan scent or his unique black-and-brown coloration.

"Spiderleg," she snarled in a deep voice that was so unlike her own.

The ThunderClan warrior was backing away slowly, his amber eyes unsure. "I recognize you," he mewed slowly, his eyes on Stormflight. "You tried to kill me once."

"And I unfortunately failed, you miserable murderer," she spat, taking a step forward, feeling herself shake with rage. "You killed our father! You murdered Streamclaw!"

Spiderleg's eyes were guarded. "I told you before," he said in a hard voice, "it was an accident. What's done is done—there's no changing the past."

"I won't accept that," Larkfall hissed. "Everything can be changed. _Everything._"

Stormflight looked at her sister out of the corners of her eyes. _She's suffering as much as I am, _she realized. "I want you to apologize to us," she spat, turning to Spiderleg.

"I already have," he spat in return. "I'm not going to waste my words on you again."

Stormflight couldn't take another moment of this. She lunged towards him with claws unsheathed, only to be knocked aside by a blur of white. _What is Larkfall thinking?!_

But it wasn't Larkfall—it was Grassfoot.

"What are you two doing?" she demanded, her green eyes wide. "You were about to _kill _this cat!"

"He killed Streamclaw." Larkfall's voice was thick with anger.

Grassfoot gasped softly, turning to look at the ThunderClan warrior, but Spiderleg had seen his chance and taken it: he was running away.

"After him!" Stormflight shoved Grassfoot off of her, taking off after the fleeing warrior. "Larkfall!"

"I'm here." She pulled up next to her, her eyes blazing. "This ends tonight."

Stormflight felt a sense of pride in her sister. Narrowing her eyes against the wind, Stormflight crouched lower, willing her stamina to keep up to catch this traitor to the warrior code.

Spiderleg stopped suddenly, seeming to be ready to jump. Larkfall hit him at full speed, making him tumble nose over tail, kicking up the springy grass and churning up dust. He wheezed as the breath whooshed out of his lungs.

Stormflight trotted to a stop, panting hard. "You think you can beat us in a race?" she hissed. "We have more energy that you do, ThunderClan rat."

Spiderleg's eyes were glazed with exhaustion. "Please don't kill me," he begged in a soft voice.

"And why not?" Larkfall snarled. "You didn't give Streamclaw any choice in the matter."

"We fell down a cliff," he explained in a whisper. "We were battling and the ground was dry...it gave way under us. He hit his head against a rock." He closed his eyes. "You don't know how many times I've thought about that day."

"Well, your time is up," Larkfall snapped. "Let's see how Rosedawn and Toadleap react when the find out that _their _father is dead!"

Spiderleg's eyes were so wide the whites were visible all around the amber. "You wouldn't."

"Watch us," Stormflight growled. She looked up at Larkfall. "How do you want to do this?"

Larkfall's blue eyes were icy, but Stormflight could see she was sheathing and unsheathing her claws nervously. "Well..."

"Larkfall, Stormflight, _no!_" Grassfoot came tearing down the slope, her claws unsheathed to grip the springy grass in an attempt to steady herself. "You can't do this!"

"Leave it, Grassfoot!" Stormflight snapped. "This is our responsibly—our _duty _to Streamclaw!"

"No!" Grassfoot cried. "It's not! Streamclaw wouldn't want this! No one in their right mind would want this!"

"Shut up, Grassfoot." Larkfall dug her claws into Spiderleg's fur. "You don't understand."

"Why wouldn't I understand?" Grassfoot moved forward, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "Streamclaw was important to the whole Clan! I knew him well enough to know for certain he wanted you to be happy. Will this bring happiness?" She lashed her tail towards Spiderleg.

Stormflight glared at her bitterly. "This...this fox-hearted cat killed my father." Grief cracked her voice.

Grassfoot's eyes grew more gentle. "I know," she murmured. "But this is not the way to deal with that. Let him go, Larkfall. Please," she added, seeing Larkfall freeze.

Stormflight was torn. She knew that Grassfoot wasn't just saying those things...that she really meant them. But Larkfall... "She's right," Stormflight said in a low voice. "Let him up, Larkfall."

Larkfall's eyes tightened. "But, Stormflight..." she whispered.

A sudden crack of lightning splintered overhead, making every cat jump. Larkfall skittered back, relinquishing her hold on Spiderleg by accident. The ThunderClan tom heaved himself to his paws, spinning around and vanishing down the hole he had been laying on top of.

"Trickery!" Stormflight hissed. "He was waiting for that!" She sniffed at the hole; cool, fresh air was coming up out of it. "A tunnel."

"Let's go," Larkfall mewed, already squirming down the smooth stone hole into the darkness.

"Wait!" Grassfoot called, but it was too late—the two sisters had already vanished down the tunnel.

Whiskers brushing the side and Larkfall's tail whipping in her face, Stormflight padded down the hole, feeling her broad shoulders slide along the slick sides. "Can you see anything?" she whispered.

"No, but I can smell him." Larkfall's soft voice echoed slightly. "We need to make sure he doesn't tell his Clan about us, or there'll be reckoning for our Clan."

"Yeah...Can you see now?"

"No." Larkfall's voice was irritated.

"What's that?" Stormflight strained her ears for a slight rushing sound. "Ow!" she yelped suddenly as a weight hit her from behind. "Grassfoot?"

"Stormflight? Larkfall?"

"What are you doing here?" Larkfall demanded. "We told you not to come."

"Well, I did anyway. I won't let you ruin your lives."

"Get out, Grassfoot," Stormflight snapped. "We don't need your help."

"I see," she said sarcastically. "So, you're going to go onto enemy territory in the middle of the night to try and kill a ThunderClan warrior on ThunderClan land? That's the plan?"

_Irritating she-cat, _Stormflight grumbled internally. "There's that noise again!" she exclaimed. "It sounds almost like—"

"Water," Larkfall mewed suddenly, coming to a dead stop; Stormflight crashed right into her haunches. "It's...water."

"Underground?" Grassfoot scoffed. "But it's true...I smell it, too."

Squinting in the darkness, Stormflight could only just make out the surroundings. A hole gaped in the ceiling of the cavern, illuminating a series of ledges on the far wall, and a dark, churning stream cutting through the center of the floor. The water was rushing so fast that she doubted even the fittest RiverClan warrior could keep up with it. The water disappeared into a deep-mouthed cleft, frothing in white rapids into the darkness. Holes were present everywhere, some stale-smelling, while others smelled fresh...almost as fresh as...

"There he is!" Stormflight yowled, seeing the dark shape of Spiderleg creeping up one of the tunnels. "Catch him!" She raced forward, barely hesitating before she leapt, flying up and over the dark water. She landed with a huff on the other side, turning to see Larkfall and Grassfoot watching with nervous eyes. "Come on!" she urged them.

Larkfall's expression set, and she crouched down, haunches waggling, before taking three steps and launching herself over the water.

Stormflight pressed her muzzle into her sister's shoulder. "Nice leap."

"You too," she responded, her eyes gleaming in the half-light. "Come on, Grassfoot!"

The white she-cat hesitated. "I...I don't think I can make it," she called across. "I'll wait for you here."

"Come on," Stormflight snapped impatiently. "He could be anywhere now!"

"Just jump," Larkfall added. "We'll catch you."

Grassfoot bit her lip. "A-alright, then," she said shakily, crouching down.

"Step back!" Stormflight directed. "You can catch more air!"

Grassfoot nodded, her green eyes focused. Scooting back, she crouched again and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a few heartbeats. When she reopened them, her gaze was fixated on the far shore. She flicked her tail, then leapt up in one smooth movement, taking three pawsteps forward.

Stormflight expected the white warrior to be nervous about her jump and take more steps than needed, but what she didn't expect was for Grassfoot to slip on a patch of wet stone and lose her footing, fishtailing sideways before falling into the dark water with a deafening crash.

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**Aaw, a cliffie! Dontcha guys love me? ^.^**

**It's all yours, Fwirly-kohai! :D**

**R&R~**

**Shadow**


	22. Chapter 21

**Hehe, my turn already? Sorry for the delay guys ('specially with the cliffhanger), but a lot of stuff has been keeping me busy lately. ^.^'**

**How many of you guys have read/watched Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles? To those of you who have: Isn't it epic? I'm obsessed and trying to think of a chaptered fic idea for it after I'm done with this one and Return. Any ideas? To those of you who haven't read/watched it: You should. –nods–**

**On to the story!**

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Larkfall could only watch in horror as Grassfoot let out a startled screech as she hit the fast-flowing water – water too fast to swim in, even for the most experienced RiverClan warrior. A strong wave covered her head, and then she went under. "Grassfoot!" Stormflight screamed.

There was no reply. The white she-cat's head wasn't even visible above the river anymore. "Grassfoot!" Stormflight repeated, her fur bristling with panic. She ran to the edge of the water, but Larkfall jerked her back by the scruff of her neck.

"It's too dangerous, you could slip and fall in too," Larkfall squeaked, looking for any sign of their fellow warrior. Even as she did this, the cold realization was sinking in: Grassfoot was gone. They had to make a choice: either continue going after Spiderleg or look for someone who wasn't there anymore. "Stormflight, we need to do something."

"What?" Stormflight asked, not taking her eyes off the water.

"Grassfoot is gone," Larkfall murmured, her voice cracking on the last word. "We can't stay here."

"We have to find her!" Stormflight shouted, starting to struggle against Larkfall to get to the river.

"Stormflight, calm down," Larkfall mewed. It took a moment, but eventually Stormflight stopped resisting and settled down next to Larkfall. Her eyes were glazed, still fixated on the water. Larkfall glanced at the tunnel behind them; Spiderleg would be long gone by now. Their trip, and Grassfoot's misfortune, had all been in vain.

"Let's go, Stormflight," Larkfall murmured softly, nudging her sister.

"Yeah," Stormflight agreed after a long pause.

---

RiverClan had retreated from the battle after a humiliating defeat. Leopardstar had retreated directly to her den, a cold, thoughtful air surrounding her. Not many cats were badly wounded, but there were enough casualties that Mothwing and Willowshine had their paws full.

Grassfoot's body was found on the shore of the lake a few days later. Everyone had been worried about her disappearance after the battle, but Stormflight and Larkfall had agreed to keep silent about the tunnels. If anyone knew what had happened that night, they would want answers from the two sisters, and, if possible, Larkfall wanted to keep her intentions a secret.

It was a dawn patrol that had found her. Carrying her back into the camp, fur soaked and limbs limp, they were greeted by yowls of horror and sorrow. Larkfall and Stormslight watched as their Clanmate was set down in the center of camp and the patrol explained what had happened to the Clan. Leopardstar stood in front of the patrol with sad eyes.

"I understand," she mewed softly. Padding up to the fallen warrior, she murmured, "You died as bravely as you lived. StarClan shall forever honor your life; may you hunt in StarClan's grounds peacefully."

"Grassfoot!" Graymist screeched at the sight of her dead kit, having just entered the camp with Beechfur and Rippletail after an unsuccessful hunting patrol. "No! No, Grassfoot!" Racing over to the lump of wet fur that had once been her daughter, the she-cat started sobbing wretchedly. "Grassfoot, why? How could you leave me like this?"

Beetlewing watched in silence, his eyes wide with shock. Padding slowly over to his dead sister, he pressed his nose into her fur and murmured, "I thought you said you were going to become leader one day and lead this forest into a more peaceful time. We promised to become the best warriors ever. Why…Why did it end up like this?"

One by one, the RiverClan cats stepped up to Grassfoot and gave her their last respects. Stormflight also padded forward, her eyes sincere and sorrowful, but Larkfall hung back. This had all been Spiderleg's fault. If he hadn't run like a coward through the tunnels, none of this would've happened. _Don't worry, Grassfoot; I _will_ avenge you, _Larkfall swore as she watched the Clan silently gather, unaware of the dark forces in progress.

---

A full moon shone coldly down at the small procession as it made its way through the forest to the island in the lake. Leopardstar led, with Icewing padding at her side. The older warriors, Mintfur, Reedwhisker, and Voletooth, trailed behind them. Nettleclaw was walking with Petalbreeze, Minnowtail and Copperstripe just behind them, huddled close together, with Larkfall and Stormflight at the rear.

Larkfall shivered as a cool breeze swept through her fur, sending a chill down her spine that she couldn't quite place. She could tell that something bad was going to happen tonight. The sky wasn't clear either; clouds were clustered everywhere, blocking out the midnight sky. No one spoke. No one had anything to say. Larkfall could feel the silence pressing down on her like a weight, threatening to crush her until she saw the island.

Scenting the air, she could tell that ShadowClan had already arrived, and still dome distance away, she could just barely discern the shapes of the other Clans' patrols heading over. Leopardstar wasted no time in jumping onto the tree bridge and heading to the other side. Icewing hardly hesitated before following her leader.

When it was Larkfall's turn to cross, her claws nearly slipped, partly because of the slick bark and partly because of her nerves. Would Spiderleg be there? Would Leopardstar mention the death of Grassfoot? Larkfall assumed she would; after all, how could she not? A lot of other cats must have been friends with the friendly she-cat. Larkfall wondered how they would all react to the news of her sudden death. Though what was worrying her even more was the way that Leopardstar kept eyeing her, how she hadn't questioned Grassfoot's seemingly random appearance on the shore, and how she had suddenly disappeared during the battle in the first place. She'd have to be careful from now on. At least until it was time to dispose of that old she-cat, anyways.

Once the RiverClan patrol had all gathered around their leader on the other side, Leopardstar flicked her tail to go forward. Pushing through the clinging bushes to the clearing on the other side, Larkfall immediately located Dawnclaw and hardly waited for her sister before dashing over to her.

"Larkfall, wait up!" Stormflight called after her.

"Hey Dawnclaw," Larkfall greeted cheerfully, sitting down next to the ShadowClan warrior. "How's the prey running?"

"Well," Dawnclaw answered tightly, her shoulders stiff and the tip of her tail twitching slightly.

"I heard ShadowClan got in a fight with WindClan," Larkfall went on, hoping that she wasn't going too far as the other warrior's lips drew back in the beginnings of a snarl. "How'd it go?" Adopting a sincere and concerned tone, she asked, "Is everyone okay?"

The older warrior's eyes flashed, but a moment later, she was calm as she replied, "No one was seriously injured, but Tawnypelt sprained her paw and Snowbird's ear got hurt pretty badly."

_She's not saying who won the battle, _Larkfall noted, glancing at Dawnclaw's various cuts and scratches. _Though it's easy to tell who retreated. _

"Dawnclaw, how are you?" Stormflight asked breathlessly, having only just arrived after running to catch up to her sister.

"I'm fine," Dawnclaw snapped, abruptly standing and walking away.

"Dawnclaw, wait!" Larkfall called, padding after her. "We didn't mean to offend you. Actually, we just lost a fight against WindClan the other day, too."

"So I heard," Dawnclaw replied, turning back with a curious glint in her eye just as Stormflight hissed, "Larkfall!"

"The other leaders will mention it anyways," Larkfall told her sister dismissively.

"It's for Leopardstar to decide what the other Clans know!" Stormflight argued, glancing nervously as Dawnclaw, but she didn't seem to be paying attention to her. Dawnclaw's eyes were fixed on Larkfall.

"A battle's a battle," Larkfall retorted, watching as Stormflight's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'm going," she said abruptly, walking away towards where Petalbreeze was talking with a ShadowClan apprentice. Not even turning to watch her sister go, Larkfall fixed her gaze on Dawnclaw.

"There's something you want to ask, right?" the she-cat asked, settling down with a calculating look in her eye. _That's odd, _Larkfall thought to herself. _I don't remember her ever being this way before. Did something happen?_

Glancing around inconspicuously, Larkfall replied, "Since when did you start to talk negotiations?"

Dawnclaw snorted. "I could say the same about you," she retorted. "What the heck happened? I can see right through your mask of being innocent and naïve; now you're just as cold and scheming as I am. A few moons ago, the way you were acting would've really been how you would've reacted. Now, you're just waiting for your chance to get what you want."

"You've been like this all along, haven't you?" Larkfall asked coolly. "Looks like I'm not the only one putting up a façade here."

"Perhaps," Dawnclaw replied, the ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Whatever it is, get on with it. The Gathering is about to start."

"I'd like to propose an alliance with you," Larkfall mewed bluntly, seeing no point in beating around the bush. "It might help to have someone I know I can trust in another Clan."

"What's in it for me?" Dawnclaw asked speculatively, her eyes glinting.

"An alliance benefits both sides," Larkfall answered. "If you ever need my help, if it's within my power, I'll do whatever I can. In return, you'll do the same for me."

"Sounds rather dull," Dawnclaw mewed, her voice bored.

_Looks like this time won't be so easy_, Larkfall thought, though she wasn't deterred. It would be useful to have someone who wasn't a complete idiot on her side. "Think about it," she offered. "Two days from now, go to the border near the burned pine tree and give me your answer then."

For a long time, it didn't appear as though Dawnclaw would answer. However, she said, "We'll see."

Before they could speak anymore, Blackstar yowled for the Gathering to start. Looking around, Larkfall saw that most of the ThunderClan and WindClan cats were grouped together while RiverClan and ShadowClan seemed to have joined in some unspoken pact and were likewise mingling only among themselves.

"I would like to start this Gathering," Onestar announced, stepping forward. His gaze was cold as he glanced from Blackstar to Leopardstar, his gaze resting longer on the latter. "Leopardstar, after I asked for your help to defend against ShadowClan and you refused, why did you attack our camp?"

"We were sent a sign from StarClan," Leopardstar answered, her eyes closed. Gasps went up from the gathered cats, and it wasn't long before whispers spread through them like wildfire.

"What do you mean?" Onestar asked, his voice dangerously low.

"I mean exactly what I said," Leopardstar replied, opening her eyes. A storm tore our camp apart, and our medicine cat told us that it was a sign from StarClan to attack WindClan or else we'd be destroyed."

Now all gazes moved to Mothwing, who sat uncomfortably with the other medicine cats; all but one. Leopardstar was staring straight at Larkfall, who let her eyes go wide and blank in apparent confusion.

"I was only reading what StarClan told me," Mothwing mewed hesitantly.

"Are you sure you didn't misread the sign?" Littlecloud asked.

"Of course not!" Mothwing replied defensively. Larkfall noticed that Leofpool had looked away, her gaze fixed on her paws. She wondered why, but didn't have time to ponder it as Onestar went on.

"WindClan has nothing left to report," Onestar practially spat out.

"All is well in ThunderClan," Firestar mewed briefly, dipping his head to Blackstar to go.

"The same is true for ShadowClan," Blackstar announced, waving his tail for Leopardstar to speak.

"We have lost two brave warriors," Leopardstar mewed, her voice strong. "Grassfoot and Otterheart now hunt with StarClan among the stars of Silverpelt." Murmurs of sorrow rose and died within the assembly of cats before Leopardstar continued. "Also, we have two new warriors, Larkfall and Stormflight. That is all."

Larkfall felt the gaze of dozens of eyes singe her pelt before the leaders jumped down from the giant oak and started to gather their warriors around them. Subdued mews of both congratulations and sorrow for her loss reached Larkfall's ears, but she ignored them as she glanced back over her shoulder to see Dawnclaw disappearing into a mass of ShadowClan cats.

_I look forward to your answer, Dawnclaw. Don't disappoint me._

* * *

**Some of you may or may not have noticed that I changed my AN style a bit. I stopped using that old style awhile ago, so I decided I'd just go ahead and change it. Hope no one minds~**

**So how do you guys like the new Lark? Pretty insane, huh? I luffle her. So Shadow and I have pretty much already planned out how this is going to end. I hope none of you guys are too fond of any of the characters, cause a lot of them shall be leaving this world to, in Shadow's words, go "down one of the crumbly holes to cat hell."^.^**

**I pass the baton on to you, Shadow-senpai~**


	23. Really Long AN Intermission

**Heya, guys!**

**This is Shadow, and I'm just coming onto this chapter/AN to tell all of our neglected readers that we ain't gonna be around for a month. I dunno if Fwirly-kohai has mentioned this, but we're gonna be doing a writing contest called NaNoWriMo. We're doing our own original stories, and it takes a month to write them, so don't expect an update until December. Fwirly, anything to add?**

**Fwirl: Hmm...not really. Well, I do feel bad for our readers, _Shadow, _who hasn't updated for over a month, _Shadow. ^.^ _Anything else, _Shadow? _Hmm, _Shadow-senpai?_**

**Shadow: Well, I like long walks on the beach and pizza. :D**

**Fwirl: ...What does that have to do with anything? P.S. You hate the beach.**

**Shadow: Um, well... Here's a word from Puerile! He's Fwirl's "special friend." -wink wink- If you catch my drift. -wink wink-**

**Puerile: so.... yes uhmmm well hiyas. and uhh........ tacos? i think? wewt? uhh........ meep.**

**Fwirl: ...**

**Shadow: ...**

**Fwirl: Well. That's enough from Puerile. **

**Shadow: Nice, Puerile. You really...said it? Question mark? Anyhoo, sorry to leave you guys hanging, but we're gonna be writing about griffin shapeshifters and awesome generals, so it should be good times had by all. **

**Fwirl: Except for you, the readers. :D**

**Puerile: you tew are juwst jelouse that you cawnt sell like me. and "leaving"?!?!?!?!? what the heck?!?!?! why!!!!! THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!!! (inser michal bay explotion here) }:?D = frenvh mustsch smily guy**

**Fwirl: ...**

**Shadow: ...**

**Fwirl: -throws Puerile out the door and locks it behind him- Okay. Now then, where were we, senpai?**

**Shadow: I think we were about at the part where we have to pretend to be sad to not update or something. Dontcha think?**

**Fwirl: Oh yeah, I suppose so. Well, it really isn't my responsibility for the next chapter, anyways. ^.^ You're always saying how I need to update, so now it's my turn! }:D**

**Shadow: Uh... right. My bad! :D:D Honestly, though, I _was _gonna update. But I got...distracted. Yeah, distracted. ^.^'**

**Fwirl: Yeah. "Distracted." Let's just go with that. ;) Okay, I must say, if you're still reading this, you're either really bored, crazy, or wondering if we have a point in all this. Well, we don't. So get over it.**

**Shadow: Fo' sho'. -throws gang sign-**

**Fwirl: For reals. -gives a peace sign like the anime nerd she is-**

**Shadow: -joins in fangirling by putting on the purple kitsune ears she got at the last Con- Kyaaa~**

**Fwirl: Don't you mean "Nyaa~"? I love that word. ^.^ Hey, you think we should end this now? And let our disappointed readers move along on their**** merry way?**

**Shadow: Hmm, probably. Go on now, dear readers! We'll see ya again in December! :D**

**Fwirl: Indeed we shall, senpai. **

**Both: 'Ta for now~!**


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